Hurricane Lala made a direct hit on Hawaii’s Big Island over the weekend as a Category 1 storm, destroying more than 100 homes, knocking out power to 111,000 customers, and dumping more than 33 inches of rain on parts of the island, marking one of the most destructive storms to hit the state in years.
The storm’s eyewall crossed over the southern tip of the Big Island early Sunday morning, bringing maximum sustained winds near 80 mph at lower elevations and a record 140 mph wind gust measured at the Mauna Kea Summit weather station. Governor Josh Green confirmed at a Sunday news conference that more than 100 homes on the southern Big Island were either destroyed or damaged, while emergency crews performed numerous water rescues, including pulling an elderly woman from a tree after her house was swept away by floodwaters.
Communities Left Unrecognizable
Residents in hard-hit communities like Naalehu and Volcano Village described scenes of devastation, with homes reduced to rubble and roads blocked by downed trees and utility poles. The community of Laupahoehoe on the Hamakua Coast received more than 33 inches of rain since Friday, while much of the Big Island accumulated one to two feet of total rainfall. At least one death was confirmed in connection with the storm, a fatal car accident on the Big Island during the storm’s closest approach, though officials said the cause remained under investigation. A separate body was also discovered near a stream on Oahu, with authorities working to determine if it was storm-related.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency reported that power outages affected as many as 111,000 customers at the peak of the storm, with Hawaiian Electric crews working to restore service across the island chain. Downed trees blocked access to Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore, and flash flood warnings remained in effect for Oahu County with rainfall rates exceeding one inch per hour. Wind gusts near 45 mph were recorded at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu as the remnants of Lala continued moving northwest at 14 mph.
Governor Declares State of Emergency
Governor Green signed an emergency proclamation ahead of the storm, unlocking a $100 million disaster fund for rapid response. Schools and state education offices on Hawaii Island, Maui, Lanai, and Molokai were closed through the weekend. The White House said the Trump Administration was monitoring conditions and that the U.S. Coast Guard was supporting search and rescue operations at the request of the Hawaii County Fire Department, though Hawaii had not yet requested formal federal assistance under the Stafford Act.
Green warned that landslides posed a continuing threat after the unprecedented rainfall. “When you have 28 inches of rain, there’s going to be a ton of landslides,” he said. Emergency workers remained concerned about additional rounds of scattered thunderstorms that could trigger further flash flooding across the saturated island chain.
Lala marked the first direct hit on the Big Island since Hurricane Hone in 2024, which passed about 50 miles to the south of South Point. The storm weakened to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 65 mph by Sunday afternoon, and tropical storm warnings remained in effect for all Hawaiian Islands even as the Big Island warning was lifted. Flood watches continued across the entire state as residual flooding persisted.
Sources: ABC News; CNN; NBC News; The New York Times; The Guardian; BBC
discussion