Categorized | Business, Energy

Hawaiian Electric releases severe weather safety tips

MEDIA RELEASE

(Honolulu, HI) Hawaiian Electric asks for the public’s patience as crews work to restore power to affected customers on Oahu. Heavy rains, strong winds, hail and the threat of lightning strikes have created potentially dangerous conditions for crews, which may affect response times.

“Our crews are fully activated and have been working around the clock since Oahu was struck by severe weather earlier this week. We know how frustrating it is to be without power. We are responding as quickly as possible to affected customers without compromising the safety of the public or our crews and thank everyone for their patience,” said Darren Pai, Hawaiian Electric spokesman.

With severe weather continuing to impact Oahu, Hawaiian Electric urges to public to stay away from downed power lines. Assume they are energized and dangerous. If you see someone injured after touching a downed power line, call 911 for help; don’t try to rescue the individual as you could become a victim yourself. Report downed power lines by calling Hawaiian Electric at 548-7961 on Oahu or HELCO at 969-6666 on the Big Island.

In addition, if the power goes out, Hawaiian Electric reminds customers to

  • Use flashlights or chemical light sticks instead of candles as an open flame may create a fire hazard.
  • Turn off and unplug any unnecessary electrical equipment, especially sensitive electronics. This will prevent damage to the equipment from surges when power is restored.
  • Remember to turn off stoves, ovens and other appliances and remove items such as pots and pans from the burners if you were cooking when the outage occurred.
  • If you become trapped in an elevator, relax and stay calm until help arrives. Use any available communications system in the elevator to communicate where you and are who is with you. Do not try to force open elevator doors. Do not try to exit a stalled elevator car without the assistance or direction of trained emergency personnel.

If your home is flooded:

  • Stay out of any flooded room if water covers the electrical outlets or plugs in outlets.
  • It is wise to have your electrical system inspected by a licensed electrician. In addition to a visual inspection of your system, the electrician should perform tests to determine deterioration in the system. Depending on the exposure, the age of the system, and other factors, electrical devices or wiring may need to be replaced.

More tips can be found in Hawaiian Electric’s Handbook for Emergency Preparedness, which

can be downloaded for free from www.heco.com.

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