Hurricane Lala moved past Hawaii’s big island Saturday without making landfall, but tropic storm force winds and heavy rainfall that made its way onshore left damage in the storm’s wake.
“Big Island got hit really hard,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Sunday.
More than 100 homes on the Big Island were destroyed and several bridges and major roads collapsed, with many facing power outages as a new week began.
“There’s a lot of damage that we’ll be working on,” Green said.
Winds up to 65 miles an hour are blowing through Kaua’i and Ni’ihau and rains capable of causing flash floods and landslides and pouring down on Kaua’i, Ni’ihau and O’ahu, the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency reported.
Heavy rainfall totals reached up to 35 inches near Nēnē Cabon, with other areas nearing 28 to 30 inches, according to officials. The National Hurricane Center warned residents that response efforts to address the “life-threatening flooding” may be delayed.
One fatality related to a car crash resulting from the rain has been confirmed. No other loss of life has been reported.
Rescue efforts continue to support tens of thousands of affected residents
“While the storm has passed, our work is not finished,” said Honolulu Mayor Blangiardi, adding that Monday will be “an important day for assessing damage, clearing roads and debris, restoring services and helping our communities recover.”
More than 200 National Guard personnel are positioned to assist with rescue efforts. Officials in Honolulu urged residents to exercise caution, particularly in flooded areas.
“We want to make sure that residents use common sense,” said Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda. “We don’t want your extracurricular activity to become our rescue mission.”
Approximately 120,000 customers are without power across the islands, according to poweroutage.com. Many residents are also reporting disruption in cellular service.
All state and county offices and schools are closed Monday while authorities assess the damage from the storm.
The current weather danger comes after Hawaii faced flooding earlier this year that marked the worst flooding the state has seen in two decades. The March flooding caused nearly $40 million in damage to crops, livestock and machinery, AP reports.
Green said he will request federal resources to help with recovery efforts.
“Let’s let us pick up our pieces and then I will go get federal support because the feds know that we are going to need some disaster resources to match ours to help us heal,” Green said.
Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna said Sunday that recovering from flooding will be a product of community efforts.
“The Big Island is a special place. This is a special community with very, very resilient people,” Mahuna said. “We’re going to get through it together. We’re going to care for one another and be patient with one another and we’re going to see this thing through.”
Missionaries in the Hawaii Laie Mission all said to be in safe conditions
As of Sunday night, the missionaries representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Hawaii Laie Mission were all reported to be in safe conditions, supported by local members.
“Right now, we are about the Lord’s work,” said President and Sister Hicken, the Hawaii Laie Mission president and his wife.