Maui County monitors worsening conditions from Hurricane Lala

News admin August 16, 2026 0 Comments

Maui County monitors worsening conditions from Hurricane Lala

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The County of Maui gave an update Saturday as the county braces for possible impacts from Hurricane Lala.

The county provided the update at 1:15 p.m.

Temporary Evacuation Points Open

Temporary Evacuation Points (TEPs) provide a safe gathering area but do not have the supplies of a regular shelter; residents need to bring essentials. Pets are allowed only if they are in crates or cages. If necessary, TEPs can be converted into shelters, which provide cots, food and water.

A list of open county and American Red Cross TEPs can be found here.

The following TEPs are available on an as-needed, on-call basis. Those who need shelter information or assistance may call:

The county said there are currently 33 individuals at temporary evacuation points (TEPs).

Ka Hale A Ke Ola has 10 beds available and is prepared to increase capacity if additional sheltering needs arise.

County facility, parks and service cancellations or changes

Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens park in Wailuku was closed on 8/15 due to rising levels in the Wailuku River and high winds.

Department of Public Works (DPW) reconstruction project on Makawao Avenue cancelled work on Saturday and Sunday due to weather.

The county’s Department of Transportation plans to resume Maui Bus Fixed-Route and ADA Paratransit Services on Sunday at 10 a.m., as road and safety conditions allow, after suspending or ending early certain routes Saturday. The Kahului Transit Center will reopen at 10 a.m. Sunday upon service resumption.

Maui Bus commuter services to West and South Maui will remain suspended on Sunday. For updated information, visit www.mauibus.org.

Additional closures can be found here.

County preparations

Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has been coordinating with other County of Maui departments, as well as state and nongovernment partners, to prepare for potential storm impacts.

Other County preparations include the following:

Maui Police Department is increasing staffing for all districts to prepare for the storm; all stations tested generators to ensure they are operable. The public should be advised of the following:

Maui Fire Department stood up an Incident Management Team to assist in managing storm response. The department increased firefighters on duty at stations across Maui County.

DPW crews have been preparing for the potential upcoming weather by ensuring all storm-response equipment are fueled and ready to go, inspecting and cleaning drainage and flood control infrastructure, and prepositioned traffic control devices and equipment for deployment if needed throughout Maui County, including in Lahaina, Wailuku, Makawao and Hāna, as well as on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.

Material is being removed from the Wailuku River Debris Basin as a safety precaution. All material remains intact and is being safely stored at a County facility in Waikapū. It can be returned to the watershed once the storm has passed.

Department of Water Supply (DWS) and Department of Environmental Management (DEM) are prepping all system infrastructure sites that could potentially be affected by the approaching storm. DWS and DEM are checking and topping off fuel in all permanent and portable generators. All vehicles are being refueled daily in anticipation of the storm. Standby crews have been set up for response.