08/20/2026
HURRICANE LALA RECOVERY UPDATE | Thursday, August 20 • 9 AM
Recovery continues across Hawaiʻi Island this morning. Crews are making progress, but Hurricane Lala caused significant damage across our island, and for some communities, recovery will take time.
⚡ NORTH KOHALA POWER
Approximately 2,150 North Kohala customers lost electricity during the storm. Because of severe damage to transmission and distribution lines, the initial estimate was that restoring service to 95% of customers could take until Sunday, August 23.
Crews have been working around the clock, and as of this morning, all but approximately 600 customers have had power restored.
Mahalo to the Hawaiian Electric crews who have been working long hours under difficult conditions to restore power to our communities.
Additional utility crews have been flown in from the mainland and will begin work today, particularly in heavily impacted areas including Kaʻū and Puna. Hawaiian Electric President Shelee Kimura is 👢boots on the ground in Hilo this morning, meeting with those crews as they receive training and guidance on Hawaiʻi Island’s grid and our communities.
I also understand that additional service trucks are being airlifted to the island to support the restoration effort.
💧 NORTH KOHALA WATER
The power outage also affected North Kohala’s water system, as the loss of electricity disrupted county wells and pumping infrastructure.
DWS brought in a 200 kW generator to support pumping and help stabilize service. Most customers have continued to have water, although some areas may experience lower-than-normal pressure while the system is being balanced.
The Department of Water Supply has clarified that the Hāwī side did not lose water service because generators were operating the Hāwī well and the booster systems supplying the Karpovich and Kaʻauhuhu tanks after power went out.
Some customers experienced lower pressure, particularly in the Halaʻula area, as DWS adjusted the system to move water from the Hāwī side.
Makapala experienced the most significant disruption and went without water until DWS could install a generator. In the meantime, DWS placed a water buffalo (not an actual water buffalo, but a portable water tank) in the area so residents had access to potable water.
The Department of Water Supply continues working to stabilize the North Kohala system and anticipates it will be essentially fully operational by this evening or tomorrow morning.
Please be patient with DWS crews. Water systems throughout the county have been affected, and crews are responding to multiple communities simultaneously.
Mahalo to our Department of Water Supply crews for keeping the system operating under difficult circumstances and adapting quickly as conditions changed.
📌 KAʻŪ • PUNA • HĀMĀKUA • KONA
Hurricane Lala affected our entire county.
The damage in parts of Kaʻū is extensive, and there will be pockets of communities where restoring power will be difficult and take considerably longer.
I am aware of outages affecting Kaliko mauka in Kona, as well as some mauka communities in Hāmākua.
There will continue to be areas experiencing utility service disruptions.
Puna’s power grid has been severely impacted. A tremendous amount of infrastructure will need to be rebuilt, and those repairs will take time.
This is an islandwide recovery effort. Our utility, water, county, and emergency crews are spread across Hawaiʻi Island, addressing a tremendous number of needs.
Please continue to give them room to work — and a little patience and aloha when you see them out there. Many of these folks have been going nonstop since the storm.
📞 NEED HELP GETTING CONNECTED?
If you are still experiencing a power or water issue and have been unable to reach Hawaiian Electric or the Department of Water Supply, don't hesitate to contact my office.
Office: 808-586-6760
Email: [email protected]
Or message me directly on social media.
I can’t promise an immediate fix, but I will do what I can to connect you with the appropriate agency and ensure your concerns are heard.
We have made progress, but there is still a lot of work ahead. Please continue looking out for your neighbors, especially our kūpuna and anyone who may need a little extra help during the recovery.
Stay safe, Hawaiʻi Island. We’ll get through this together. 🤙🏽🤠 Tim
