{"id":860658,"date":"2026-08-16T23:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T23:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/860658\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T23:20:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T23:20:15","slug":"thousands-without-power-and-at-least-100-homes-damaged-after-tropical-storm-lala-lashes-hawaii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/860658\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands without power and at least 100 homes damaged after Tropical Storm Lala lashes Hawaii"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Tropical Storm Lala, which brought dangerous flooding, strong winds and a massive power outage throughout Hawaii, is beginning to exit the islands Sunday as the eye starts to pull away from Kauai.\n <\/p>\n

\n More than 200,000 customers are still without power across the islands, and nearly 70% of the Big Island is without power. Hurricane-force wind gusts were reported in Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, with the mountainous island terrain amplifying winds at higher elevations.\n <\/p>\n

\"damage.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Drone video reveals the extensive damage torrential floods did to Highway 11 in Pahala\n <\/p>\n

\"damage.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Drone video reveals the extensive damage torrential floods did to Highway 11 in Pahala<\/p>\n

3:23<\/p>\n

\n At least 100 homes were damaged and lost in the storm, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said during a Sunday news conference.\n <\/p>\n

\n The effects of the storm are likely to exit the Hawaiian Islands by 8 a.m. local time Monday.\n <\/p>\n

\n Tropical storm warnings are still in effect for Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai and Maui. Heavy rainfall is continuing but becoming more sporadic as the outer rainbands pass over the islands. The exception is Kauai, which is still being grazed by rainfall associated with Lala\u2019s core and is experiencing tropical storm-level wind gusts.\n <\/p>\n

\n Green on Saturday evening attributed a car accident to the storm but said Sunday it was unclear whether it was connected to Lala.\n <\/p>\n

\n Another person was found dead amid the storm, but it is also unclear how the person died and whether the death was storm-related, Green said.\n <\/p>\n

\n In a video update<\/a> Saturday night, Hawaii County\u2019s Acting Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliviera said occupants of a vehicle stuck in floodwaters were being rescued, though he did not provide further details.\n <\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

\n Rescue crews were able to save lives in their response by pulling an elderly woman out of a tree when her house washed away, Green said.\n <\/p>\n

\n A \u201criver of water\u201d went through Naalehu on Hawaii, washing away \u201cquite a lot,\u201d the governor added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Additionally, Green described a collapsed road, which made way for a new waterfall and damage to small bridges, cutting off people in an area where there is a small hospital, now isolated and without power.\n <\/p>\n

\n There are likely \u201ca ton of landslides\u201d on the Big Island because of the heavy rains, Green said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Lala, which strengthened to a Category 1 storm Saturday, made its closest approach to Hawaii\u2019s Big Island at around 5 p.m. local time, with its eyewall brushing the southern portion from roughly 30 miles away, according to the National Hurricane Center.\n <\/p>\n

\n Videos obtained by CNN show streets flooded by torrential rainfall on the Big Island, which got over 30 inches of rain. More than 190 flights in and out of Hawaii have been postponed, while 52 were canceled, Green said, though airports across the state remained open.\n <\/p>\n

\"still_22899474_8519.484_still.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Floodwaters rush across road on Hawaii\u2019s Big Island\n <\/p>\n

\"still_22899474_8519.484_still.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Floodwaters rush across road on Hawaii\u2019s Big Island<\/p>\n

0:55<\/p>\n

\n Emergency responders are expected to be busy dealing with urgent matters for 36 hours as the storm passes Hawaii, with damage assessment expected to begin on Monday, the governor said.\n <\/p>\n

\n A record number of road closures and prolonged power outages had been reported, according to Alameda.\n <\/p>\n

\n Those widespread power outages and road closures have had major impacts on residents, Major General Stephen F. Logan, adjutant general for the state of Hawaii, told CNN\u2019s Brian Abel.\n <\/p>\n

\n The biggest challenge for crews working to restore power in affected areas is clearing downed trees that fell during the storm, Logan said.\n <\/p>\n

\n He added state officials are confident they can take care of the massive cleanup effort after the storm but active-duty military are standing by in case they need assistance.\n <\/p>\n

\n As Lala moves west, its most serious threat is its torrential rain, which could also spur additional flash flooding across the other Hawaiian Islands. The National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep terrain.\n <\/p>\n

\n Up to 6 inches of additional rain is expected in parts of Kauai, where tropical storm warnings are in effect. Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu and Kahoolawe are also under a tropical storm warning.\n <\/p>\n

\"Drenching<\/p>\n

\n Waves could reach 8 to 12 feet, particularly on east-facing shores where a high surf advisory is in effect.\n <\/p>\n

\n Landfalls \u2014 when the center of the eye moves over land \u2014 on the Hawaiian islands have happened only a handful of times in the modern record. The last tropical system to make landfall was Tropical Storm Olivia in 2018<\/a>, which came ashore on Maui, the island\u2019s first landfall since recordkeeping began in the 1950s.\n <\/p>\n

\n The last landfalling hurricane was in 1992, when Category 4 Iniki hit Kauai<\/a>, becoming the strongest storm to directly strike the state on record.\n <\/p>\n

\"Tropical<\/p>\n

\n Across Hawaii, residents evacuated to designated shelters and scoured packed grocery stores as officials across several counties announced closures as the storm approached.\n <\/p>\n

\n In Hilo, grocery stores and gas stations were busy as people stocked up on essentials, CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now<\/a> reported. Hawaii County offered sandbags for residents around the island. Around 130 people had fled to shelters Saturday, according to the mayor<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

\n Many roads in Hawaii County are closed due to downed trees and utility lines and landslides, according to the County of Hawaii Mayor\u2019s Office.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWhile road crews are working hard to clear debris as conditions allow, we need all residents and visitors to heed all warnings, move into safe shelter, and stay off the roadways,\u201d Alameda said.\n <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\n And in Oahu, officials opened eight hurricane refuge areas as public facilities like the Honolulu Zoo shuttered.\n <\/p>\n

\n Tropical storms approaching Hawaii typically hit cooler ocean temperatures before reaching the islands, but Lala remained over warmer waters due to an ongoing marine heat wave extending to California and a developing Super El Ni\u00f1o<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

\n El Ni\u00f1o is helping fuel increased storm potential in the central Pacific this year with warmer ocean temperatures and weaker winds in the upper atmosphere, which can normally break up storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast an above-average central Pacific season, with five to 13 cyclones expected.\n <\/p>\n

\n Randy Collins, director of emergency management for the city and county of Honolulu, urged residents to be extra careful once the storm has passed and cleanup starts.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cMany casualties happen after the disaster \u2026 As people are cleaning things up, they\u2019re working with heavy equipment, chain saws, generators, they\u2019re working around downed power lines and so forth. That\u2019s when the casualties come,\u201d he said. \u201cI just want to encourage everyone as they are cleaning up to ensure that you are doing so in a safe manner.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n This story has been updated with additional information.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tropical Storm Lala, which brought dangerous flooding, strong winds and a massive power outage throughout Hawaii, is beginning…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860659,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-860658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}