Question: In early November, Hawaiian Electric contacted those affected by the June Downtown Honolulu power outage about a compromise payment. We were informed it may take over two weeks to process. This was in early November. I submitted my request and authorized release, but it is now about a month since doing so. When can we expect our payment?

Answer: About two-thirds of the more than 300 damage claims filed over the June 17-21 Downtown/­Chinatown outage have been processed and Hawaiian Electric Co. staff are working to finish the rest as quickly as possible, although some require more action by the affected customer, Darren Pai, a spokesperson for the company, said Tuesday.

Some customers submitted payment acceptance forms without signing them as required, he said, citing one example of necessary follow-­­up. Other customers never responded to HECO’s mailed offer of a claim settlement, perhaps due to a language barrier, he said. Since you know you signed and submitted your claim form, we provided your contact information to HECO, with your permission. Pai said the company would follow up with you directly.

The power outage, which was caused by an underground fire that destroyed electrical cables, affected about 3,000 of HECO’s residential and commercial customers. In July, HECO made courtesy payments to eligible customers who had filed a claim, while the cause of the outage was still under investigation. Some commercial customers received $500 each and some residential customers received $50 each at that time, Pai said.

The investigation ultimately concluded that HECO could not have prevented the prolonged outage, but the company still wanted to do something for affected customers, so it offered 50% payments on eligible claims, minus any previous courtesy payments, he said. The payments were for losses such as spoiled food, ruined inventory or damaged equipment, he said, but not for lost revenue or wages from businesses that couldn’t operate during the blackout.

Residential customers could claim losses up to $500 without documentation and receive a $250 payment ($200 if they had already received a $50 courtesy payment), while commercial customers could claim losses of up to $5,000 without documentation and receive $2,500 ($2,000 if they had already received a $500 courtesy payment), Pai said. Claims over $500 (residential) or $5,000 (commercial) required documentation to be paid at 50% of the loss, minus any courtesy payment, he said.

As of Tuesday, 88 of 132 residential claims had been paid or were being processed, while 44 were yet to be processed, Pai said. Of 176 commercial claims, 117 had been paid or were being processed, while 59 had yet to be processed, he said.

Customers who received an offer from Hawaiian Electric to settle a claim still have time to accept it, Pai said. “It’s possible that not everyone understood that they need to return” the signed statement to receive the payment, he said.

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s Order No. 10960, known as Rule 16, which has been in effect since 1991, says Hawaiian Electric “will not be liable for interruption or insufficiency of supply or any loss, cost, damage or expense of any nature whatsoever, occasioned thereby if caused by accident, storm, fire, strikes, riots, war or any cause not within the Company’s control through the exercise of reasonable diligence and care.” The order requires HECO to compensate the customer “for any loss, cost, damage or expense as determined by the Company to be within the Company’s control.” As Pai said, the investigation found HECO could not have prevented the June 17-21 outage.

Q: Congratulations to everyone who entered and finished the Honolulu Marathon. Anyone who can do that event is remarkable in my book. In past years, it mentioned who was the last finisher. No names needed. Just the age and time.

A: A woman from Chicago in the 65 to 69 age group clocked a time of 16:17:16, crossing the finish line last among among 18,429 runners who completed the race, a marathon spokesperson said.

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Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.

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Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.