Honolulu enters full cleanup and recovery mode as Tropical Storm Lala departs

News admin August 17, 2026 0 Comments

Honolulu enters full cleanup and recovery mode as Tropical Storm Lala departs

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The City and County of Honolulu is in full cleanup and recovery mode as Tropical Storm Lala continues moving away from the island.

As of 10 a.m. Monday, there are no weather watches, warnings, or advisories issued for Oahu.

While the weather conditions have improved, storm-related hazards remain across Oahu, and City officials are urging residents and visitors to continue using caution.

Across the island, grounds remain saturated, tens of thousands remain without power, fallen trees, branches, and powerlines are creating hazards, and localized flooding may continue to create dangerous conditions through Monday.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply continues asking residents to limit water use to essential needs, including drinking, cooking, and sanitation, as crews respond to power outages affecting pumping operations in parts of Oahu. Island-wide conservation will help maintain reservoir levels until power and normal pumping operations are restored.

The City’s Emergency Operations Center and Honolulu Police Department Joint Operations Center remain activated, with City departments and first responders continuing response operations while crews clear roads, remove debris, and assess damage.

Cleanup and damage assessment underway

City crews are responding to storm impacts across Oahu, including fallen trees and branches, debris, damaged roofs, flooding and downed power lines.

As of 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 17, Hawaiian Electric is reporting 461 outages across Oahu, affecting approximately 62,351 customers.

Cellular service in parts of Oahu and the North Shore is intermittent, and residents may experience disruptions to calls, text messages, and data service.

Property owners who experienced storm-related damage are encouraged to report it through the City’s damage assessment form at www.honolulu.gov/homedamage.

Road closures

City crews continue responding to storm-related road and lane closures across Oahu. Motorists should continue to use caution and expect localized closures and delays. Intersections where traffic signals are out should be treated as four-way stops.

Department of Facility Maintenance and Department of Parks and Recreation crews continue clearing fallen trees, branches, and debris from City roadways and properties.

City personnel are also assessing roads, drainage systems, traffic signals, and other infrastructure for storm-related damage.

Residents encountering cleanup crews are asked to slow down, follow directions, and provide workers enough space to safely complete their work.

Hurricane refuge areas

At the peak of operations, 247 people sought refuge at the City’s eight hurricane refuge areas.

To help restore regular education operations at the eight State schools used as hurricane refuge areas, the City transitioned shelter operations to three City parks. As of 8 a.m. Monday, 54 people remain at the facilities.

The current shelter locations are:

City operations

Gov. Josh Green and the mayors of all four counties have made the coordinated decision to close State and county government offices and public schools on Monday. Mayor Rick Blangiardi has ordered the closure of all non-essential City and County of Honolulu offices. City and County of Honolulu offices, facilities, programs, and services will be closed or suspended, including Satellite City Halls and Driver Licensing Centers.

All disaster response and disaster recovery personnel, as well as all employees designated by their departments and agencies, must report to work as directed. All other City and County of Honolulu employees will be granted administrative leave.

The City’s informational call center remains available at 808-723-8960 for non-emergency storm-related information. The City’s Emergency Operations Center will remain activated as response and recovery operations continue.

Rubbish collection

Refuse convenience centers, transfer stations, and the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill are fully open and have resumed normal operations. Residential refuse collection will also proceed as scheduled.

If your refuse, recycling, or green compost cart was damaged during the storm, please contact the Department of Environmental Services (ENV) to request a repair or replacement: (808) 768-3200 or [email protected] . Please include your address and a description of the damage.

Public transportation

Skyline is operating on its normal schedule. TheBus and TheHandi-Van have largely returned to normal operations, although some routes may continue to experience detours or delays due to localized storm impacts, road conditions, and ongoing cleanup work. Riders should allow additional travel time and monitor City and transit updates for changes affecting their route.