Hawaiian Electric provided an update at 5:30 p.m. Friday stating that power remains on in communities with high exposure to wildfire risk. The utility had announced on Wednesday that it would monitor conditions across the state in response to the National Weather Service issuing a Red Flag Warning for leeward areas of the islands for Friday.

NWS extended the Red Flag Warning through 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, and HECO stated in its update that it will continue to monitor the threat from high winds and dry conditions. The utility said it may enact part of its Public Safety Power Shutoff program and proactively shut power off in some communities.

The PSPS Process

• If power is shut off, it will remain off so long as hazardous weather conditions persist
• When the weather improves, power lines must be inspected and any damage must be repaired before service can be restored. This may involve ground crews and aerial inspections using helicopters and drones.
• This process may result in extended outages lasting several hours, possibly even days, depending on the location and extent of any damage.

There may also be outages not related to the PSPS program.

Find additional information and maps related to the PSPS program at hawaiianelectric.com/PSPS, or by calling 1-844-483-8666.