Hawaii is grappling with widespread flash flooding after Hurricane Lala skirted the Big Island as a category one storm, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain that officials say may have swept some homes off their foundations. Tens of thousands of properties across the islands have lost power, and officials have urged residents to brace for life threatening conditions, including mudslides, as the storm continues tracking westward south of Hawaii. Lala strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday, with wind speeds reaching a peak of 91 miles per hour, or 147 kilometers per hour, and forecasters say the storm could dump as much as 35 inches, or 89 centimeters, of rain in some areas. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said Saturday that one person died in a weather related car accident on Big Island, where numerous roads have been affected by the storm. Hawaii County officials said that as of 1:00 a.m. local time Sunday, two areas on Big Island had experienced flash flooding, warning that several occupied homes may have been swept off their foundations. Big Island Mayor Kimo Alameda said the county’s civil defense agency launched a search and rescue operation to locate residents whose homes may have been carried away by floodwaters. He described the rescue effort as especially difficult given the combination of rushing water, debris, boulders blocking roads and darkness. Footage released by Hawaii’s Department of Transportation shows roads submerged under fast moving water and blocked by fallen trees. Green urged residents to prepare for what he called an incredible amount of water and pleaded with people to stay off the roads during the storm, delivering the warning in a video posted to social media. The governor said 190 flights have been postponed as a result of the storm. At Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, Big Island’s largest airport, 40 percent of flights were grounded Saturday according to flight tracking service FlightAware, while roughly 80 percent of flights were canceled at Hilo International, the island’s other major airport. The National Weather Service issued its most severe warnings for areas in Big Island’s southeast, the region that came closest to the hurricane’s center, saying major rainfall flooding could prompt widespread evacuations and rescues as rivers and tributaries rapidly overflow their banks in multiple locations. Nearly 115,000 customers had lost power across Hawaii as of Sunday morning local time, according to the tracking service PowerOutage. Green said three hospitals also lost electricity but continued operating on backup generators. In Maui, some residents have been without water service since Saturday afternoon. A county statement said crews who responded to assess the situation were forced to turn back due to worsening weather and multiple downed trees, adding that repair work would resume once conditions allow safe access. Meteorologist Jennifer Myers, who lives in Hilo on Big Island’s eastern coast, said landslides have already cut off some roads while falling trees have torn down power lines in the area. Describing the view from her apartment overlooking the Wailuku River where it meets Hilo Bay, she said the water level had risen dramatically and that the bay, normally blue, had turned a deep red from sediment and runoff pouring into it. The hurricane ultimately did not make landfall on Big Island as some forecasts had suggested was possible, instead passing within 30 miles, or 48 kilometers, of the island’s South Point. Tropical storm warnings remain in effect across all eight of Hawaii’s major islands, including Big Island, Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Lanai, Kauai and Niihau. Big Island had previously been under a full hurricane warning. The National Hurricane Center said damaging winds and heavy rain will continue across Big Island overnight before spreading westward to the smaller islands on Sunday. Officials had repeatedly urged residents to prepare ahead of the storm’s arrival. Social media posts from local community groups showed residents filling sandbags to protect their homes and asking about store hours in the early hours of Saturday. Hawaii County’s Civil Defense Agency said public shelters remain open across every district on Big Island.
