Recently, the state of Hawaii in the United States has been severely affected by the outer circulation of Category 1 Hurricane Lala, despite the hurricane not making direct landfall. The storm has brought astonishing heavy rain to the Big Island of Hawaii, triggering severe flooding and mudslides. At least 100 houses have been damaged, with 219,000 households across the state losing power supply at one point. Tragically, one person lost their life in a car accident.
According to media reports, the storm has brought destructive impacts such as heavy rain, strong winds, dangerous swells, and coastal flooding to the region. Hawaii Governor Josh Green confirmed on Saturday that a hurricane-related car accident had resulted in one fatality at South Point on the Big Island.
Furthermore, the National Weather Service confirmed that at least two houses were swept away by flash floods, leading to joint search and rescue efforts by the Civil Defense Agency, National Guard, and Coast Guard.
Data from the power tracking website PowerOutage.us shows that as of the time of reporting, over 161,000 households in Hawaii remain without power. Additionally, three hospitals have lost external power supply but are able to operate using backup generators.
Due to the impact of the hurricane, Hawaii’s Department of Transportation temporarily closed Hilo and Kona International Airports. Currently, over 190 flights to and from Hawaii have been delayed or canceled.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) predicts that the Big Island and Maui will experience another 4 to 8 inches of rainfall. Since Friday night, parts of the Big Island’s windward slopes have accumulated between 30 to 35 inches of rainfall. Governor Green has declared a state of emergency statewide and has deployed approximately 180 members of the Hawaii National Guard for disaster relief efforts.
The NHC has reported that Hurricane Lala has weakened into a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds decreasing to around 65 miles per hour (105 kilometers per hour) as it continues to move westward from the southern waters of Hawaii. However, authorities have warned that the threat is not fully eliminated, with tropical storm warnings still in effect for the eight main islands of Hawaii.