• Hawaiian Electric began damage assessments as Tropical Storm Lala drove widespread outages across Hawaii on Aug. 16, 2026.
• About 197,400 customers were without power as of 7 a.m., with prolonged outages possible in hard-hit rural Hawaii Island areas.
• Restoration priorities include repairs to main transmission lines to reconnect independent power producers to the Hawaii Island grid.
• Mutual-aid support was requested; about 100 mainland utility crew members are expected to arrive Tuesday for deployment as early as Wednesday.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. HEI - Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief on August 16, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.