Kauai Island Utility Cooperative told members on Tuesday evening Hawaii Standard Time that crews had finished a first round of transmission line inspections and would spend the following two days completing transmission repairs before shifting to the neighborhood distribution circuits that feed homes. Chief of Operations Brad Rockwell said in remarks reported by Hawaii News Now that if the work goes well, crews could "shift to repairing distribution circuits by the end of this week."

That sequence matters more to households than any single outage figure. Transmission lines are the high-voltage backbone, the path that carries power from generation to substations. Until that backbone is inspected and safely energized, repairs to the smaller lines running down residential streets cannot restore service. For roughly 33,000 of the cooperative's 36,000 member accounts, the practical meaning is that lights are unlikely to come back before late in the week, and later than that in harder to reach areas.

The first restorations have already begun. The cooperative reported that 466 members in the Eleele and Hanapepe areas had service back at around 5 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time on Tuesday. Those figures are current as of Tuesday evening HST and will change as assessments continue.

Lowell also caused one confirmed death. A man died on Oahu after a large tree fell on the tent he was living in at Sherwood Beach in Waimanalo on Monday night. Police responded at about 8:35 p.m. HST, and Governor Josh Green confirmed the death publicly the following day.

Transmission Backbone First, Neighborhood Circuits Second

Kauai's grid is not a small system to walk. The cooperative said it must inspect and repair approximately 1,500 miles of transmission and distribution line, and that road closures, debris, and access limits are slowing crews. Tuesday's inspections were carried out by helicopter, by drone, and on foot. Preliminary inspections indicated that distribution lines and associated equipment took the heaviest damage, along with transmission lines and substations. The cooperative said there appeared to be no significant damage to its own generation units.

President and Chief Executive Officer David Bissell said in a statement carried by The Garden Island that the cooperative's first priority is "making sure conditions are safe for our crews," emergency responders, and the public, and that reliable restoration estimates cannot be issued until the extent of damage is understood. No islandwide estimated restoration time had been published as of Tuesday evening HST.

Weather conditions improved sharply through the day. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency reported that as of 8 a.m. HST Tuesday, Lowell had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 80 miles per hour and was about 190 miles north-northwest of Lihue. The Hurricane Warning for Kauai County and the Tropical Storm Warning for Oahu were both cancelled. By the 5 p.m. HST advisory that afternoon, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center had downgraded Lowell to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds near 70 miles per hour, moving north and forecast to weaken further.

Outage Counts on Kauai and Oahu

Damage was uneven across the state. On Kauai, the cooperative reported that about 90 percent of its membership lost power at some point during the storm. On Oahu, Hawaiian Electric reported roughly 21,000 customers without service as of 6:30 a.m. HST Tuesday, with about 14,400 on the leeward coast and about 6,600 on the windward side, representing less than 7 percent of its Oahu customer base.

Wind and water, not landfall, did the damage, because Lowell never came ashore. The storm passed roughly 90 miles west of Lihue and far closer to Niihau as a Category 2 hurricane at its closest approach, with tropical storm force winds extending nearly 200 miles from the center. Measured peaks included sustained winds of 51 miles per hour with a gust to 84 at Barking Sands on western Kauai, and sustained winds of 53 miles per hour with a gust to 79 at Lihue Airport. Storm surge and high surf drove extensive damage to structures and roadways in coastal areas including Kekaha and Poipu, and nearly 300 people evacuated from homes along the coast.

Rainfall added a second layer of damage. The National Weather Service office in Honolulu reported widespread totals of 2 to 6 inches across Kauai and Niihau on Monday night, with far higher localized amounts in mountain terrain. The agency's Doppler radar on Kauai was knocked out of service during the storm and remained offline Tuesday morning HST.

Lowell also produced the first Tornado Watch on record for any part of Hawaii. The National Weather Service issued Tornado Watch 1 for Kauai County, including Kauai, Niihau, and adjacent coastal waters, at 4:13 p.m. HST on September 7. It expired at 4 a.m. HST the next morning and has not been reissued. A watch means conditions were favorable for tornadoes, not that any were confirmed.

Households Facing the Longest Wait

Risk is not spread evenly across the island. The heaviest burden falls on Kauai households that depend on electric medical equipment, residents on private wells whose pumps need power, families relying on refrigerated medication, and people in outlying areas where road access is still limited by downed trees and poles.

The outages have knock-on effects beyond lighting. Municipal water pumps and wells lost power across the island, and the Kauai Department of Water issued an islandwide conservation notice asking customers to limit use to essential needs while repairs continue. The state Department of Health issued an islandwide brown water advisory for Kauai, warning that runoff has carried contamination into coastal waters, drainage outlets, and harbors.

Guidance Now in Effect on Kauai and Oahu

State emergency managers are asking residents to limit travel so crews can work, and to treat every downed line as energized. The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency's standing advice is blunt: "Treat downed power lines as live" and stay clear. Officials also recommend checking damaged property for downed power lines, gas lines, and foundation cracks before re-entering.

Residents should report downed lines to their utility or to 911, treat intersections with dark traffic signals as four-way stops, and follow instructions from the Kauai Emergency Management Agency rather than social media accounts circulating unverified storm footage. Generators should be run outdoors and well away from windows and vents because of carbon monoxide risk.

What remains unconfirmed is substantial. There is no islandwide restoration estimate, no completed structural damage assessment, and no verified statewide damage cost. The cooperative has said only that some areas should expect outages lasting several days or longer, and that it has arranged for supplemental crews through a regional mutual assistance agreement.

The next milestones to watch are the cooperative's first published restoration estimate, county damage assessments on Kauai and Oahu, and any state or federal disaster declaration that would open assistance programs. Lowell reached Category 5 intensity with maximum sustained winds near 160 miles per hour before weakening on its approach to the islands, and it is the third tropical system to affect parts of Hawaii this season, following Lala and Moke in August.

What Readers Want to Know

How many Kauai customers are still without power?

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative reported roughly 33,000 of about 36,000 member accounts without service as of Tuesday afternoon HST, with 466 members restored in Eleele and Hanapepe around 5 p.m. HST.

When will power be restored?

No islandwide estimate has been issued. The cooperative said crews would spend two days completing transmission repairs before moving to distribution circuits, and warned that some areas should prepare for outages lasting several days or longer.

Are any hurricane warnings still active for Hawaii?

No. The Hurricane Warning for Kauai County and the Tropical Storm Warning for Oahu were both cancelled, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Lowell was downgraded to a tropical storm later the same day.

Did tornadoes touch down on Kauai?

A Tornado Watch was issued for Kauai County at 4:13 p.m. HST on September 7 and expired at 4 a.m. HST the next morning. A watch signals favorable conditions, not confirmed tornadoes. No tornado had been confirmed as of the latest official updates.

Were there any deaths?

One. A man living in a tent at Sherwood Beach in Waimanalo on Oahu was killed when a tree fell on him Monday night.

What should residents do about downed lines?

Assume every downed line is energized, stay well clear, and report it to the utility or emergency authorities. Do not attempt to move lines or clear debris around them.

Where should residents get official updates?

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Lowell page, the Kauai Emergency Management Agency, the utility outage maps, and the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.