Power is back for most people on Oahu after the storm, but many buildings still have no air conditioning or working elevators — an annoyance for residents and a headache for businesses.

• Air conditioners and elevators are built to stay off after an outage, so a technician has to inspect and reset them by hand.
• That safety lockout exists in case a short circuit caused the outage — turning things back on blindly risks a shock, fire, or explosion.
• Repair crews across the island are swamped with tens of thousands of calls at once, so the wait is long.
• Stores like Target and Planet Fitness are running portable AC units that are not keeping up with the heat.
• Older elevators can be out for weeks or months because replacement parts are hard to find.

Outlook: Most systems will come back over the next several days, but buildings with old equipment or storm-damaged parts should expect a much longer wait.