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Hawaiian Electric Crews On Standby For Super Bowl Sunday
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by Big Island Video News
on Feb 12, 2023 at 11:42 am

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STORY SUMMARY

HAWAIʻI - The Hawaiian Electric company says crews are ready to respond to wind-related outages during Super Bowl weekend.

(BIVN) – The High Wind Warning has been lifted for Hawaiʻi island, but the power utility says crews will be ready to respond to wind-related outages during the Super Bowl weekend.

This news release was issued by the Hawaiian Electric company on Saturday:

With high winds expected to continue through Super Bowl Sunday, Hawaiian Electric crews will remain on alert and ready to respond to potential wind-related issues. “Hawaiian Electric has contingency plans in place whenever extreme weather is expected and especially with the Super Bowl on Sunday we want to make sure we can respond quickly to any outages,” said Jim Kelly, a spokesperson for Hawaiian Electric. “We’re hopeful the winds will die down but we’ll have extra crews on standby just in case.” To minimize outages, Hawaiian Electric spends more than $20 million annually on vegetation management to keep trees and other plants clear of overhead power lines. Crews work year-round to upgrade equipment and to build resilience into the electric grids on each island.

For customers gathering for the Super Bowl, here are some reminders:

• Brief power interruptions may occur during windy conditions. Customers may experience a momentary outage with power restored almost immediately, but cable TV systems can sometimes take longer to reboot.

• If gathering outdoors, avoid using tents, which could get blown into power lines. If tents or tarps must be used, ensure they are tied down securely.

• Stack chairs or weigh them down when not in use. Weigh or tie down anything that could possibly be blown into power lines

The best way to keep updated on outages or other important notifications is through Hawaiian Electric’s Twitter feed. Follow @HwnElectric, @MauiElectric or @HIElectricLight. Also, a free download of the company’s mobile app is available at Apple App and Google Play stores. Customers may view the outage map and report an outage through the app. Note that during windy weather, outages are often caused by trees. When tree branches or palm fronds come into contact with power lines, they could cause a brief power interruption

That is because the circuit will “trip” offline, which is an equipment protection and safety feature. The circuit will automatically re-energize, but the trip can cause a momentary outage. Strong wind gusts can also cause “swing shorts,” which can occur when overhead power lines come too close to each other, and energy can be passed from line to line. This can cause momentary outages and at times may require an employee or crew to respond. Strong wind gusts challenged crews attempting to repair lines and replace poles on Hawai‘i Island, Maui and O‘ahu on Friday. One example was on Mana Road in Waimea where a tree fell and brought down lines that had been restrung only a short time earlier. In Kohala, repairs took longer to complete due to additional damage caused by high winds. High winds, combined with heavy rain earlier this week, may have partially uprooted trees and cracked tree branches. Although winds may diminish, trees and branches may easily topple or break and cause new outages

On Hawaiʻi island, the Hawaiian Electric trouble line is available to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (808) 969-666.


Filed Under: Hawaii Tagged With: Hawaiian Electric

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