Tropical Storm Lala knocks out power for over 111,000 in Hawaii
Tropical Storm Lala has left over 111,000 customers without power in Hawaii, with the utility deploying drones and helicopters for damage assessment.
Tropical Storm Lala has caused widespread power outages across Hawaii, leaving more than 111,000 utility customers without electricity as of Monday morning, according to tracking data.
Hawaiian Electric, which serves about 95% of the state's population, reported that 117,300 of its customers were without power at 7 a.m. HST (1700 GMT). The utility noted that the storm caused significant damage to infrastructure in remote areas of Hawaii Island and Maui.
Crews have restored power to nearly 55,000 customers in parts of East Honolulu, Mililani, and Windward areas overnight. However, about 71,600 customers remain without power in Windward, Leeward, and Honolulu areas. The utility has asked customers from Salt Lake to East Honolulu to conserve power.
To assess the full extent of the damage, Hawaiian Electric is deploying helicopters and drones on Oahu and Maui to reach remote areas with rugged terrain.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm was located a few hundred miles west-southwest of Lihue, Hawaii.
County-wise outage figures from PowerOutage.us show Honolulu County with 65,069 outages, Hawaii County with 39,380, Maui County with 6,650, and Kauai County with 294, totaling 111,393.