(BIVN) – The effort to restore power to Hawaii island following the impacts of Hurricane Lala continues.
Powerful winds and heavy rains ravaged the Big Island over the weekend, severely damaging electrical infrastructure. Aerial video by the Hawaiian Electric company shows the damage to utility lines in Kaʻū, alongside the devastation caused by flash flooding.
Major transmission lies, connecting power producers to the grid, also went down in the storm. Yesterday, Hawaiian Electric reported that Hamakua Energy, the island’s largest independent power producer, was reconnected.
The power company says that significant restoration progress was made overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Approximately 17,000 customers on Hawai’i island are still without power.
Crews are prioritizing critical facilities followed by neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, Hawaiian Electric released new maps showing the estimated times of restoration for the various districts on Hawai‘i Island.
As this map shows, the districts of Puna, North Kohala, and North Kona are estimated to be 95% restored by the end of Sunday, August 23rd. Kaʻū is estimated to be 95% restored by the end of Tuesday, September 8th.
Among the impacts related to the loss of power is the loss of water. County officials, first responders, non profits and volunteers have been working to distribute water and ice to hardest hit areas.
Until power is fully restored, the Department of Water Supply is asking its customers to in these areas to use water for essential needs only. Potable water tankers or temporary spigots have been deployed at these locations for customers use.
