Hurricane Lala lashes Hawaii Island with damaging winds, flooding rain

News admin August 16, 2026 0 Comments

Hurricane Lala lashes Hawaii Island with damaging winds, flooding rain

HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hurricane Lala brought heavy rain, damaging wind gusts, and widespread power outages to Hawaii Island Saturday, forcing numerous road closures and prompting officials to open emergency shelters.

Downed trees and flooded roadways have prompted county officials to urge residents to stay off the roads and shelter in place.

Extended power outages

More than 63,000 customers experiencing power outages — including the entire east and south sides, Waimea, and Honokaa — experienced overnight outages as wind gusts near 90 mph battered the area.

Restoration work was halted for safety. Hawaiian Electric said crews were instructed to stay off the roads by Hawaii County Civil Defense due to dangerous road hazards, like flooding and downed trees.

More information about where thepoweroutages are in effect.

Essential Needs Only Notice has been issued for all Dept. of Water Supply customers due to the adverse storm conditions, which are causing power outages islandwide. Essential needs are for drinking, cooking, or personal hygiene only.

Click here for the updated HECO outage map.

Winds batter Waimea, Pahala

In Waimea, heavy downpours filled up Waimea Stream and wind gusts whipped throughout the area, even blowing the roof off a house on Hohola Street. It ended up in a neighbor’s yard across the street.

High winds also started to blow off the corrugated roof of a home in Pahala. Family members and neighbors unsuccessfully tried to remove it with a large water hose, bamboo pole, and mango picker.

Police eventually told them to go back inside for safety purposes.

Impacts began Saturday morning

Hawaii Island began to feel the impacts of Hurricane Lala on Saturday morning, bringing high winds, heavy rain, and localized flooding.

“We haven’t seen the worst of it. This is just the beginning,” Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said Saturday morning from the Emergency Operations Center.

Emergency response and shelters

Mayor Alameda reported that emergency teams have been tracking the storm overnight and remain highly vigilant.

To ensure safety across the entire island, Hawaii County has taken the proactive step of opening emergency shelters in all nine districts.

You can find direct directions and details for the three main shelters here: Hawaii County,Maui, andOahu.

Affected residents in need of immediate food, clothing, or shelter assistance can submit requests online, while property damage reports can be logged directly with Civil Defense.

HNN’s Mahealani Richardson 1 p.m. update on Hawaii Island:

Traffic alerts and road closures

High winds and heavy rain have triggered multiple road closures, and residents are urged to stay off the roads. New closures have been reported on scenic routes:

County suspensions and closures

Widespread damage has led to cancellations of key county operations. All fixed-route Hele-On bus and Paratransit services were suspended for Sunday, Aug. 16. Additionally, all county parks, park facilities, and solid waste transfer stations will remain closed on Sunday.

For the latest island closures in your area, check our ongoing list here.

“If we can dodge this bullet, it’ll be a huge blessing,” Alameda said, urging residents to stay vigilant. “This storm is far from over. We’ll find out more in about five to 10 hours.”