90-year-old woman found dead in Naalehu following Hurricane Lala

HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) – A 90-year-old woman was found dead Monday in Naʻalehu following severe weather conditions caused by Hurricane Lala, officials confirmed.

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During a joint press conference on Monday, Gov. Josh Green and Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda announced the discovery of the victim. Her family is currently being notified.

Emergency crews initiated a search after she was reported missing from her Naʻalehu neighborhood, but access to the area was initially difficult, officials said.

Search and recovery efforts

According to temporary Fire Chief Daniel Volpe, county fire crews and police officers conducted initial searches in the Naʻalehu and Waiohinu regions but were unable to locate her.

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Later Monday afternoon, specialized search and extraction teams from the Hawaiʻi National Guard were deployed to assist.

“She was located, police responded right away. One of our ambulances did respond,” Volpe said. “Unfortunately, though, by the time she was located, she was found deceased.”

Police Chief Reed Mahuna said foul play is not suspected.

“We don’t believe it is anything other than a result of the disaster at this time, but we will investigate it fully to make sure that that’s the case,” he said.

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