South Kohala in Hawaii to go dark overnight due to power outage: Check affected areas and precautionary measures to ensure safety

A power outage is scheduled to take place in parts of the South Kohala area starting from Thursday (August 14, 2025) at 9 PM and is expected to end about 6 AM Friday. Hawaiian Electric notified customers in the area about an overnight power outage to replace poles and equipment.

South Kohala power outage: Check the list of affected areas

• Kawaihae Road from mile marker 62.5 to Kawaihae Harbor
• Kawaihae Harbor
• Akoni Pule Highway from Kawaihae Harbor to mile marker 7
• Koaie, Hawaiian Homes, Kohala Estates, and Kohala Ranch subdivisions
• Kohala Mountain Road from mile markers 10-18, up to and including Puuhue Ranch

The Kanehoa and Anekona Estates subdivisions in Waimea will not be affected. “This temporary outage is necessary to allow Hawaiian Electric personnel to safely replace poles and equipment for reliability, resilience, and wildfire safety,” Hawaiian Electric said in a news release, as quoted by Star Advertiser. “The work is being performed overnight to minimize disruptions to customers.”

Important safety tips ahead of the power outage

Customers are asked to unplug sensitive equipment before the outage and to keep refrigerator and freezer doors shut. Individuals who are dependent on medication or life-support equipment were asked to arrange for backup power or travel to a facility outside the affected area.

Ahead of the overnight power outage, the Kohala Ranch Water Company had recommended that people store enough water for use and turn off all irrigation systems during the power outage.

According to the Star Advertiser, partial lane closures are planned on Kawaihae Road near Spencer Beach Park, Kawaihae Harbor, the industrial area, and Kohala Estates. Motorists are advised to exercise caution while approaching and passing the work zones. Flagmen will be on-site to provide traffic control. It is pertinent to mention that the planned, overnight outage is not part of the public safety power shutoff program.