HAWAII — Communities across Hawaii were assessing severe damage Monday after former Hurricane Lala unleashed torrential rain, destructive winds, flash flooding and landslides across the islands. On Hawaii’s Big Island, a powerful mudslide swept through the small community of Waiʻōhinu, destroying about a dozen homes and leaving some residents cut off from outside assistance.
- A mudslide swept through Waiʻōhinu on the southern Big Island, destroying about a dozen homes after extreme rainfall from Lala.
- Residents described massive boulders coming down with enough force to shake the ground as floodwaters and debris moved through the community.
- Some parts of Hawaii received more than 3 feet of rain during the storm, while Kapalua in Maui County recorded about 48 inches over the weekend.
- More than 100,000 customers across the Hawaiian Islands remained without electricity as of Monday.
- Bridges were washed away on the Big Island, leaving several communities isolated and making it difficult for emergency crews to reach residents.
- The eye of then-Category 1 Hurricane Lala passed roughly 30 miles off the Big Island, producing gusts above 80 mph and intense rainfall.
- Hawaii state and county offices, public schools, charter schools, courts and judiciary offices were closed Monday.
- Lala weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph Monday night but could strengthen back into a hurricane over the open Pacific by late Tuesday.
The most severe destruction was reported around Waiʻōhinu near the southern tip of the Big Island, where a mudslide tore through the community after days of intense rainfall. Residents said large boulders, mud and debris came rushing downhill with enough force to shake the ground.
About a dozen homes were destroyed in the community. Residents who remained in the area were dealing with shortages of basic supplies including drinking water, propane, gasoline and food as damaged roads and bridges limited access.
Some families escaped with only moments to spare. One family that included a young child reportedly managed to leave its home shortly before the structure was swept away.
The destruction came after Lala passed extremely close to Hawaii without officially making landfall. The eye of the storm, while Lala was still a Category 1 hurricane, moved approximately 30 miles off the coast of the Big Island over the weekend.
Despite staying offshore, Lala produced wind gusts exceeding 80 mph and extraordinary rainfall totals across parts of the state.
Lala brings extreme rainfall, mudslides and widespread power outages
Rainfall became one of Lala’s most destructive impacts. Some locations received more than 3 feet of rain as the storm moved past Hawaii, saturating hillsides, overflowing waterways and triggering dangerous landslides.
Kapalua in Maui County was reported to have received around 48 inches of rain over the weekend, highlighting the extraordinary amount of moisture associated with the storm.
On the Big Island, the rain washed away bridges and damaged roads, cutting several communities off from the rest of the island. In isolated areas such as Waiʻōhinu, residents were forced to rely heavily on neighbors while emergency services struggled to reach them.
The combination of saturated soil, steep terrain and rushing water sent mud, rocks and debris through vulnerable communities. Residents described boulders crashing downhill as the ground shook during the mudslide.
The power system also suffered extensive damage. More than 100,000 customers remained without electricity across the Hawaiian Islands on Monday, a significant increase from the roughly 60,000 outages reported while Lala was moving past the islands Sunday.
Downed trees, damaged utility infrastructure, flooded roads and inaccessible communities complicated restoration work in some areas.
Authorities continued warning residents against attempting to cross flooded roads or fast-moving water. Even as the storm moved farther away, saturated slopes remained vulnerable to additional landslides and falling debris.
The latest official tropical cyclone forecasts and advisories are available through the Central Pacific hurricane advisories.
The Big Island experienced another major weather emergency earlier this year when a Kona low left 139,000 customers without electricity as flood warnings spread across Hawaii.
Lala weakens but could become a hurricane again
Lala continued moving west away from Hawaii on Monday after weakening from hurricane strength to a tropical storm.
By Monday night, the system had maximum sustained winds of around 65 mph, slightly stronger than earlier in the day. Although the immediate tropical cyclone threat to Hawaii was easing as Lala moved farther into the Pacific, recovery operations were only beginning in many damaged communities.
Forecasters said environmental conditions over the open Pacific could allow Lala to strengthen again, with the storm potentially returning to hurricane intensity by late Tuesday.
Hawaii has not experienced a direct hurricane landfall since Hurricane Iniki struck in 1992, but Lala demonstrated how a powerful storm can cause extensive damage even without its center crossing the coastline.
State and county offices across Hawaii were closed Monday, along with state Department of Education schools, public charter schools, courts and judiciary offices as officials dealt with storm damage and hazardous travel conditions.
Residents in some isolated Big Island communities continued to face shortages of essential supplies while damaged infrastructure prevented normal travel. Emergency crews and local authorities were working to assess washed-out bridges, flooded roads, landslides and damaged homes.
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Although Lala was moving away from the Hawaiian Islands, the storm’s aftermath remained dangerous. Washed-out roads and bridges, unstable hillsides and widespread power outages continued to affect communities across the state.
People in areas affected by flooding and landslides were advised to follow local emergency alerts and road closures and avoid damaged or flooded routes while recovery crews worked to restore access and electricity.
For residents of Waiʻōhinu and other isolated communities on the Big Island, the immediate focus shifted from preparing for Lala to securing food, water, fuel and other necessities while assessing the extent of the destruction left behind.
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