HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hundreds of Downtown and Chinatown businesses are waiting to hear back on claims following two major power outages in June. Hawaiian Electric (HECO) announced it will be giving courtesy payments to provide some financial relief before claims are determined.
Frustrated business owners that have filed claims with HECO say its been over a month, while other shop owners said they expected the long response time and are waiting patiently.
“I thought a big company like HECO would [take] less than that,” stated Selena Pak, Owner of Honolulu Rose Cake Shop.
Since HECO’s two extended outages back in June, more than 400 claims were filed from both commercial and residential customers. The company is waiting for investigations into the cause of both outages to be completed before claims are determined.
“That’s not going to be something that’s going to take six months or two years,” said Jim Kelly, HECO Vice President. “We’re working on it right now, and we want to get back to people as soon as we can.”
HECO said it will not pay for lost wages or revenue, but will cover losses for inventory and damaged equipment.
“What about the businesses that we lost the day? How about the staff? How about the rental? All of these compounded into something that I feel we should also be compensated and that’s not a part of it. How about the refrigeration that broke down the goods?” asked Celeste Mendiola, Co-owner of Prime Roast Cafe.
To address concerns from the community, HECO announced an aid package which includes the following:
No late payment fees through January 15, 2025
No disconnections for nonpayment through January 15, 2025
Extended payment plans offered up to four months
$20,000 committed to Chinatown community organizations for support including event promotion and education programs for small businesses.
Courtesy payments to customers who submitted a claim for losses for the exctended June 17 outage:
$500 for commercial customers
$50 for residential customers
If a claim is paid out by HECO, the $500 will be come out of the total amount. If a claim is not paid out, business owners will still be able to keep the money.