The outage has a headcount now.
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, via Hawaii News Now and The Garden Island: about 33,000 of 36,000 member accounts still dark after Lowell. About 90% of members lost power at some point. Crews have about 1,500 miles of transmission and distribution line to walk. CEO David Bissell: safety first, no fake ETA. “This is a significant island-wide restoration effort.”
A crack of light: about 5 p.m. Tuesday, 466 members in Eleele and Hanapepe came back. Chief of operations Brad Rockwell: the next two days are transmission repairs. If that holds, distribution circuits by end of week, maybe earlier. Generation units KIUC owns look intact. Non-KIUC generation still being counted. Mutual-aid crews and Hawaiian Electric help are in the pipeline. High-density and critical infrastructure go first.
Water is the second outage. Pumps and wells need electricity. Kauai Department of Water: islandwide conservation — essential use only — or the pressure drops for everyone. Report outages and main breaks: 808-245-5400.
Health: islandwide brown-water advisory. Runoff put sewage, animal waste, and chemical debris into coastal water, drains, and harbors. Stay out of floodwater and the ocean. Ocean Safety: no swimming, no surfing, no marine recreation until they say otherwise.
Downed lines: assume hot. 911 for a hazard. KIUC: 808-246-4300. Generators: outside, 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from windows. That is NHC’s post-storm line, not a vibe.
What this means for you
If you are on Kauai, conserve water and stay off closed roads. If the lights flickered in Eleele, that is 466, not the island. If you smell exhaust indoors, get out.
Bottom line: 33,000 dark. 466 on. Water and brown water are the other grid. Patience is not optional.
GLHR NEWS explains the news. Not investment, tax, or trading advice. Do your own work before you act.
