Power has been restored to Kalaupapa after Hawaiian Electric assisted the National Park Service with repairs to a power line damaged by Hurricane Nolo along the Kalaupapa Pali.
The National Park Service owns and maintains the electrical system serving Kalaupapa and coordinated repair efforts following the outage. At the request of the National Park Service, Hawaiian Electric provided personnel, equipment and helicopter support to help access and repair the damaged section of line in challenging terrain.
The primary issue was damage to the conductor extending from the top of the pali to the settlement below. Restoring service required crews to access the remote ridge-top location and use helicopter support to install new conductor along the steep route down to Kalaupapa.
The outage began Sept. 27 when hurricane-force winds associated with Hurricane Nolo damaged the line serving the settlement. The restoration effort was delayed due to access issues from the property owner who controls the right of way at the top of the Kalaupapa Trail.
With power now restored, approximately 60 Kalaupapa residents, patients and staff are one step closer to returning home after being temporarily relocated on Sept. 11 due to issues with the settlement’s drinking water system and subsequent impacts from Hurricane Nolo.
The company extended thanks to the National Park Service, the Hawaiʻi Department of Health, Maui County, aviation partners and others who helped make the restoration effort possible.
