Hurricane Lala Skirts Big Island, Killing One Amid Flooding

Hurricane Lala skirted the southern tip of Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday without making landfall yet still delivered punishing winds and rain that knocked out power to more than 40,000 customers and left roads flooded across the state. The National Hurricane Center had warned of life-threatening conditions including mudslides and storm surge while the storm's eye passed within 30 miles of South Point. One person died in a weather-related car accident on the Big Island as officials scrambled to clear debris and restore service.

Poweroutage.com reported 42,889 customers without electricity by midafternoon including nearly 32,000 on the Big Island alone. Hawaiian Electric crews worked to assess damage along a 42-mile stretch of transmission lines on the Hamakua Coast where fallen trees toppled poles and structures. The company told customers to prepare for possible extended outages that could last overnight as the system drifted westward. Maui County recorded more than 7,000 outages as well with the storm expected to bring another 8 to 12 inches of rain to eastern parts of the island.

Governor Josh Green described the rainfall as an incredible amount of water and urged residents to stay off the roads. Videos from the state transportation department showed fast-moving floodwaters overtaking rural routes and blocking access in multiple spots. The National Hurricane Center forecast 10 to 20 inches of rain across the Big Island with isolated totals reaching 25 inches in steeper terrain where mudslides posed the greatest risk. Coastal areas faced large waves and a potential 3-foot storm surge even as the core of the storm remained offshore.

Lala reached Category 1 strength earlier in the day with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and gusts up to 91 miles per hour before the eye wall brushed the southern portion of the Big Island. Tropical storm warnings stayed in place for the other major islands including Maui Molokai Lanai Oahu Kauai and Niihau. Forecasters said damaging winds and heavy rain would continue through the night on the Big Island before shifting westward on Sunday.

The close passage revived memories of past storms that threatened direct hits on the islands but this time the system tracked just south without crossing land. Still the combination of saturated ground and high winds exposed weaknesses in the local power grid where utility poles and lines proved vulnerable to even moderate tree fall. Residents in affected areas reported downed lines and blocked highways that complicated efforts to move supplies or reach higher ground.

Federal and state agencies issued repeated alerts about flooding and mudslides yet many communities found themselves dealing with the aftermath on their own after the initial surge of rain. The death in the car accident underscored how quickly conditions turned hazardous on slick roads even away from the strongest winds. As the storm weakens and moves away the focus shifts to restoring power and clearing debris while questions linger about why infrastructure on the islands remains so exposed to seasonal weather events.