Downtown businesses struggle to recover following power outage

Several Downtown Honolulu businesses reported significant losses due to Thursday’s power outage, forcing them to toss food items, cancel large catering orders, and struggle to recover the following day. The owner of Jojo’s Kitchen mentioned that a substantial order had to be canceled due to the outage, resulting in wasted food, time, and money.

Business owners in Downtown Honolulu had a slow return to normal operations after the power outage on Thursday. The outage, which lasted about nine hours, caused offices and businesses to close early for the day. This resulted in continued slow business for many shops, including Jojo’s Kitchen and Honolulu Rose Cake Shop.

In response to the losses incurred during the outage, some shop owners in Downtown Honolulu plan to file damage claims with Hawaiian Electric (HECO). Customers have the right to file claims for compensation for any losses caused by the outage and have up to 30 days from the date of the outage to do so. HECO has reported that in 2022, a total of 943 claims were filed on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island, with a payout of $249,579.86.

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs in the state advises consumers to first attempt to resolve issues directly with a utility company like HECO. If unresolved, consumers can then file an information complaint with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to describe their complaint and desired outcome. Meanwhile, HECO continues to investigate the underground cable power outage that led to Thursday’s events, reassuring that Downtown Honolulu’s network is now stable.