Tropical Storm Lala Kills 1, Cuts Power to 111,000 on Hawaii's Big Island
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 18
Tropical Storm Lala Kills 1, Cuts Power to 111,000 on Hawaii's Big Island
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 18
Summary
One woman was confirmed dead after Lala swept past Hawaii, while more than 111,000 customers on the Big Island lost power and at least 100 homes were damaged or washed away.
3.5 feet of rain fell in some areas over 48 hours, driving floodwaters that damaged six bridges and collapsed part of a major highway, cutting road access to Pahala's only hospital.
Utility crews were restoring service, but Hawaiian Electric warned some rural outages could last weeks as helicopters and drones assessed damage in remote mountainous areas.
Hundreds of millions of dollars in statewide damage are estimated, with Oahu also logging more than 600 weather-related emergency responses including downed trees, roofs torn off and power lines down.
Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm near Hawaii but could regain hurricane strength by Wednesday, as a strong El Niño and unusually warm Pacific waters support more extreme weather.