KIUC restores 97% of Kauai power as restoration efforts continue

KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) – As of Sunday, 97% of Kauai’s power has been restored as the Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) continues restoration efforts after Hurricane Lowell.

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As of Sunday afternoon, the utility said power was restored to an additional 500 members.

KIUC said crews, contractors and mutual aid partners continued efforts to restore power. Troubleshooters also addressed new outages not linked to Hurricane Lowell.

On Kauai’s North Shore, KIUC said about 95% of the 5,500 members of Moloaa to Hanalei have had their power restored. Vegetation and debris cleaning continues in Wainiha and Haena as initial repair work is underway. The utility expects restoration to begin in Wainiha and Haena at the end of the week.

Several outage pockets remain in Anahola and Kekaha.

The utility said outage clusters and individual members will be brought back online as repairs are completed. A restoration timeline has not been set as conditions and extent of repairs vary by location.

Kokee has not begun restoration efforts, as substantial vegetation and debris clearing continues. Repairs and restorations could begin this week, but it is still to early to provide a restoration timeline, KIUC said.

Mutual aid arrives

Nearly 100 personnel from HECO, Southern California Edison (SCE) and HMS Construction began arriving on Thursday to help KIUC’s line crews and contractors.

Roughly 250 KIUC personnel will be deployed to field operations in the restoration effort.

KIUC said that, at Gov. Josh Green’s request, U.S. Air Force crews transported six SCE utility trucks that arrived Saturday. SCE personnel and crews assisted in power restoration efforts after Hurricane Lala.

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“We are grateful for the assistance of Governor Josh Green in making arrangements for the arrival of these vital supplies, which will greatly accelerate our ability to resolve the remaining outages,” Bissell said.

Safety information

KIUC also announced it has suspended collections activities for delinquent accounts until storm recovery is complete.

Generators

With many residents operating gas-powered generators, officials are urging extreme caution. Generators must be kept outdoors, at least 20 feet away from homes with exhaust pointed away from doors and windows, to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Residents should never plug a generator directly into a household outlet due to the risk of back feeding utility lines, and generators should always be allowed to cool before refueling.

Traffic Advisory

Utility crews are working alongside the road during restoration efforts. Motorists are asked to drive with caution and slow down near crews working on the road shoulders.

Downed Lines

KIUC reminds the public to stay away from downed lines and always assume any downed line is energized. Downed lines and electrical hazards can be reported to (808) 246-4300, or 911 if there is imminent danger.

Daily updates

The utility said it will provide daily updates on progress and will share restoration plans and progress on a regular basis.

Updates will be provided online on KIUC’s website, social media and through the Everbridge notification system.

KIUC encourages North Shore members to update their contact information so they can receive the messages via phone, text and email.

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Hurricane Lowell resources from KIUC can be found here.

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