Hurricane Lowell Causes Widespread Damage to KIUC System

LĪHUʻE, KAUAʻI - Hurricane Lowell caused significant damage to Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative’s transmission and distribution system as it passed over Kauaʻi overnight, leaving most of the island without power.

Approximately 90% of KIUC members experienced an outage at some point during the storm. As of this morning, approximately 33,000 of KIUC’s 36,000 member accounts remain without power.

KIUC crews began assessing damage this morning. With approximately 1,500 miles of transmission and distribution lines across Kauaʻi, the assessment and restoration effort will be extensive. Road closures, debris and other access limitations may also affect the ability of crews to reach damaged areas.

“Our first priority is making sure conditions are safe for our crews, emergency responders and the public,” said KIUC President and Chief Executive Officer David Bissell. “We know our members want to know when their power will be restored. Right now, we need to understand the extent of the damage and what repairs are necessary before we can provide reliable restoration estimates.”

Before damaged portions of the system can be re-energized, crews must inspect lines and equipment, identify damage and determine what repairs are necessary to safely restore power. As areas are assessed and conditions allow, repair and restoration work will proceed.

KIUC is mobilizing all available resources to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Given the extent of the storm damage, members should prepare for outages that may last several days or longer in some areas.

“This will be a significant island-wide restoration effort, and we ask for our members’ patience as our crews work to assess the system and begin repairs,” Bissell said. “We will provide restoration estimates as soon as we have enough information to do so responsibly.”

KIUC expects to provide another update this afternoon based on information gathered during the initial damage assessments.

Members are urged to stay well away from downed power lines and always assume that any downed line is energized. Downed lines and other electrical hazards should be reported to KIUC or emergency authorities.

Updates will be provided through KIUC’s website, social media channels and local news media as additional information becomes available.

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