HONOLULU (KHON2) -- After the major power outages that affected Chinatown and parts of downtown, KHON2 wanted to gather together Hawaii's power providers and overseers, as well as community leaders and policy makers to find out what's being done quickly to prevent these power problems from continuing.
The Downtown-Chinatown Community spoke to KHON2 about the frustration residents and businesses experienced, and what they hope to see happen in the future.
"Monday when it went off it was a snap crackle, and a big boom, and literally exploded," explained Ernest Caravalho, Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board Chairperson. "And the elderly, they all got stuck downstairs, so they all spent the night to the morning, downstairs, outside or in the lobby. So, it's very uncomfortable. They couldn't go upstairs, you know,"
Businesses lost products and revenues.
"The businesses, they lost a lot of money. They took a brunt of this," Caravalho said. "When you think about the businesses and all that, it's going to take a while for them to recuperate their money. But what about the employees that work there that lost all those wages? You miss one days work in Hawaii that really hurts yeah? We have to hold HECO accountable. An immediate payment to our businesses is due, and that's what we expect from them. We need more preventive maintenance. When you let wires decay for 50 years, something's wrong. Where's all that money that HECO's collecting?"
Joining KHON2 to discuss some of those issues and more on Hawaii's energy future and challenges:
Jim Kelly - Hawaiian Electric Vice President of Government and Community Relations
Leo Asuncion - Chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission
Mark Glick - Chief Energy Officer at the Hawaii State Energy Office
Senator Jarrett Keohokalole - Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee
Leroy Chincio - IBEW Local 1260, the union representing HECO workers