Civil Defence said good progress had been made overnight repairing the 110kV transmission line between Tuai and Gisborne damaged in yesterday's fatal plane crash.
Just before midday today, Eastland Network general manager, Brent Stewart, said they were still hoping to get electricity back on later today.
"The sun is out now and our crews are making good progress at the worksite near Hangaroa,'' he said.
"They are working as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions. We're still hopeful power will be restored late today, but the damage is significant and there is a lot of work to do.''
Eastland Network general manager Brent Stewart said great progress had been made on the repairs throughout the day.
"We are hopeful power will be restored later this afternoon or early evening. Electricity will be restored gradually across the district so you may see your neighbours' lights come on before your own home has power."
Mr Stewart asked residents to turn appliances off at the wall this afternoon, and switch them on again once the power supply was restored.
He warned that Eastland Network would need to turn the power off again in order to make permanent repairs.
"To complete the repairs and ensure ongoing security of supply, we will need to interrupt the electricity supply again. We're currently working through plans to determine when this will happen and how long the outage will be when it does occur."
Eastland Network would make an announcement about this tomorrow.
"In the meantime, the advice we're giving is that if you have a generator in place you may want to disconnect it, but we suggest you do not return it hastily, wait until we have made that announcement tomorrow."
Generators are running again today but power supply will be intermittent and most of Gisborne is without power.
A water tank is available at Okitu for Wainui residents unable to retrieve water from their own tanks.
"People may have no power in these areas. We ask people to use this power sparingly so power will reach longer distances from the substation and more people will benefit."
The crash, which claimed the lives of two men, happened at Hangaroa, south of Gisborne, yesterday morning and initially wiped out power to the entire East Coast.
Stewart said other teams worked yesterday afternoon and evening under the guidance of Civil Defence to install around 25 generators across Gisborne city.
"These have been put into supermarkets, food outlets, petrol stations and aged care residences."
He warned all residents to make sure they continued to treat all lines as live at all times.
"Power supply may be restored at any time."
Tairawhiti Civil Defence controller Patrick Willock said several service stations are now open for fuel and gas supplies.
"Today will be harder for people without power but we ask for their patience. Many people are working hard to restore power and enable power in the meantime."
Police put on extra staff on the beat last night and will continue to do so for the next few nights to ensure safety and help reduce crime around the city.
The community is also being warned about safety, following the mass power outage.
Civil Defence Emergency officials encouraged people to eat perishable foods - such as bread and meet first - because they spoil faster than non-perishable foods.
Meanwhile, local police have amped up their presence in the Gisborne area and are speaking to business owners about how they can keep their premises safe from potential thieves.
Area commander Sam Aberahama said officers were keeping in touch through various ways - including via social media sites such as Facebook - and were providing shop keepers and business owners with key tips.
"One of our key messages is for retailers to move cigarettes and alcohol to secure locations. We also suggest they leave cabinets open so potential thieves can see they are empty.''
Businesses were also encouraged to put up notices on shop windows clearly stating that items such as alcohol and tobacco had been taken off-site.
Shops including dairy outlets, liquor stores, pharmacies and petrol stations were all being encouraged to carry out such measures.
Aberahama said: "We'd like to remind everyone, not just business owners, that we are here for them 24-7. We have extra staff on duty and will continue to do so until everything has returned to normal.''
Key advice to the public
Power
•Treat lines as live at all times.
•Turn all power appliances off at the wall.
•Those on the East Coast from Tolaga Bay north or west at Whatatutu, Otoko and Puha had power yesterday and overnight, provided by generators. Today power to these areas will be intermittent.
Water
•A water tanker was available to Wainui residents at the Wainui Surf Lifesaving Club today. Residents can also bucket water out of their tanks.
•Save water both inside and out. That means limit the times the toilet is flushed. No watering of the garden.
Cooking and food
•Use gas for cooking either inside on a gas hob, or outside on a gas barbecue.
•The fire ban has been lifted to enable people to cook outside on an open fire if necessary.
•Some fast food outlets have their own generators.
. Eat perishable foods such as breads and meat first, as they will spoil faster than non-perishable foods.
. Open the fridge and freezer as little as possible.
. Throw out rotting or tainted food before it spoils other foods.
. Always wash and dry your hands before preparing food, using clean water and soap or hand sanitiser if possible.
General
•Limit the times you open the freezer or fridge to help conserve your food.
Health
•Please check on your neighbours, particularly the very young and very old.
•Gisborne Hospital is open. Because lines have been overloaded, a new phone number has been provided. This is (06) 869 0528. If there is an emergency, please ring 111 as usual.
•Most GP practices remain open today but are working at reduced capacity because of difficulty accessing electronic notes.
•Limit visits to the GP to urgent or emergency visits.
•People needing to boil water for baby formula could boil it on gas or a gas barbecue, or use bottled water.
Schools
•Parents should check whether their children's schools will be open today.
