Hurricane Lala: Maui, Honolulu And Kauaʻi Counties Face Storm Impacts
Thousands faced power outages as these islands, home to more than 1.2 million people, remained under a tropical storm warning.
As Hurricane Lala traveled westward of Hawaiʻi island on Saturday evening, life-threatening winds and rain were set to pummel the other Hawaiian Islands and create dangerous flooding conditions, the National Hurricane Center said.
Impacts were spreading across Maui and Oʻahu on Saturday night, with thousands losing power. Kauaʻi was expected to feel the effects of the storm into Sunday morning. High surf took a toll as well with storm surges of up to 3 feet being reported on all of the island chain’s shores, keeping lifeguards busy.
Honolulu’s Ocean Safety Department reported its personnel had performed than 7,700 preventative actions and 59 rescues on Oʻahu, more than half of them in Waikīkī. In addition to the unpredictable ocean, the department warned that high winds can turn everything from standup paddleboards to beach umbrellas into dangerous threats.
Between 13 and 14 inches of rain had already fallen on Windward Maui by Saturday night. As of 6:30 p.m., more than 13,000 customers on Maui were without electricity, and nearly 6,000 were in the dark on Oʻahu, according to Hawaiian Electric outage maps.
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“Hurricane Lala will continue to bring damaging winds, heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, and dangerously high surf to portions of the state through the weekend,” the hurricane center said in an update before 6 p.m.
The center noted that the islands’ mountainous terrain can create localized areas of extreme winds even far from the cyclone’s center.
On Saturday, wind and light rain were on and off all afternoon in Kihei, blowing vegetation around. Mala Ocean Tavern, one of the restaurants that survived the 2023 Lahaina fire, lost part of its roof in the strong winds, KHON reported.
On Saturday evening on Oʻahu, some traffic lights were out and fallen trees were blocking roadways, including at the entrance to the Pali Lookout.
Damaging tropical storm force winds — between 39 and 73 miles per hour — were expected to continue throughout Saturday night, the National Weather Service said.
Shelters Open On Maui
As of 4 p.m. on Saturday, Maui had converted temporary evacuation points into shelters with cots, food and water. Residents should bring their own bedding, medicals and other essentials, including specialty food for those with dietary restrictions. Pets are welcome only if they are in crates or cages.
The following county and American Red Cross shelters are open:
- Wailuku: Baldwin High School, 1650 Kaahumanu Ave.
- Hāna: Hāna High & Elementary School Cafeteria, 4111 Hāna Highway
- Lahaina: Lahaina Civic Center Gym, 1840 Honoapiʻilani Highway
- Pukalani: Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center (Social Hall), 91 Pukalani St.
- Kīhei: South Maui Community Park and Gym, 1501 Liloa Drive
The following locations are available on an as-needed, on-call basis. Those who need shelter information or assistance should call ahead:
- Lānaʻi: Lānaʻi Youth Center, 101-165 Fifth St. Lānaʻi City: (808) 559-0175
- Molokaʻi: Molokaʻi Baptist Church 495 Puupeelua Ave., Hoolehua, and Kilohana Recreation Center, 344 Kamehameha V Highway, Kaunakakai (808) 280-8968
There were 40 people in shelters before 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Oʻahu Braces For Lala’s Impact
On Oʻahu, city officials warned residents about high winds, heavy rain and potential flooding and asked them to stay home as the storm approached the island.
Roughly 9,000 homes had lost power on Oʻahu, said Mayor Rick Blangiardi during a press conference on Saturday evening. The next 12 to 18 hours would be critical for the island, and he said the worst of the storm should pass by Sunday evening.
Winds could hit up to 35 to 50 miles per hour, he said, with some parts of the island seeing over eight inches of rain.
“It is unpredictable, and we want to be careful here. Do not take the storm lightly,” Blangiardi said. “We want you to stay home.”
TheBus paused its services as of 8:30 pm on Saturday, although Skyline was poised to continue its services as usual, Director of Transit Jon Nouchi said. The city will communicate with residents about when bus services will resume, he said.
City officials stressed that they were much more prepared for the possibility of flash floods and evacuations than earlier this year, when the Kona lows forced residents to scramble to evacuate overnight. A dozen high water vehicles are stationed across the island to help people in the case of evacuation, said Randal Collins, director of the city’s Department of Emergency Management.
It’s hard to determine which areas are most at risk of evacuation at this time, Blangiardi said, but the city is monitoring the wind conditions overnight.
“l’ll say this with certainty: we will not experience this time around in the middle of the night what went on before,” Blangiardi said.
The city opened eight hurricane refuge areas on Saturday morning and asked residents to bring their own food, water and medications. All refuge areas are pet friendly. As of Saturday evening, 55 residents were in the refuge areas, Collins said.
A list of shelters on Oʻahu can be found here.
Reporter Erin Nolan contributed to this story.
