Service was restored in the last 24 hours, according to Verizon spokesman Bill Kula.

Kula said technicians are doing both repair and maintenance work on affected lines.

The repair work involves opening cable sheaths containing 1,300 to 2,000 "pair," which Kula described as whisper-thin strands of fiber assigned to individual telephone numbers.

More than 88 percent of the customers without service are on O'ahu, and 'Aiea is the area most affected, with 500 customers, according to Kula.

Maui and the Big Island also reported service disruptions.

"We had an inordinate amount of water covering our equipment," Kula said.

"When water gets into the sheaths, we have to repair each individual pair one at a time. That process is what takes time to complete.

"Our Priority 1 is to create temporary fixes so our customers have a local dial tone," he said.

"Our second priority is to do preventive maintenance."

Verizon is in the process of replacing paper-wrapped cable lines with plastic wraps more effective against water-related problems, Kula said.