Hawaiian Electric Co. crews continue work to restore power to about 27,700 customers on Hawaii Island who are still without power in the wake of Hurricane Lala.

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Utility workers have “made significant progress” as of 7:30 a.m. today, the company said in a statement.

“This is critical work to reconnect power generation to the island grids, but transmission lines often cross through remote areas, making access and repairs challenging,” HECO officials said in a statement.

A helicopter and drones are being used today on Hawaii Island for ongoing damage assessments in remote areas.

Damage assessments found “extensive damage to poles on lines” serving North and South Kohala.

Access to upper Puna is blocked by vegetation in and around Hawaiian Electric lines, and tree trimmers have been called in to remove vegetation strewn about by the storm.

Eleven of the 21 transmission or subtransmission lines have been repaired on Hawaii Island.

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“Hawaiian Electric thanks everyone for their continued patience and acknowledges the challenges of being without power for extended periods,” read the statement.

The restoration process “emphasizes safety and essential community services,” and prioritizes areas that serve “emergency facilities and the greatest number of customers first.”

HECO said workers need to address accessibility issues, like downed trees that need to be cut and cleared.

“Whenever it’s possible to safely do some of these steps in parallel, we will do so. Even if you don’t see us in your neighborhood, rest assured that we are working to restore power as quickly as possible,” the company assured this morning in a statement.

Customers can call HECO’s Hawaii Island Trouble Line to report any downed power lines, which should always be treated as energized and dangerous: 1-855-304-9191.

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