Lala passed within 35 miles of Hawaiʻi Island at hurricane strength on Saturday night, bringing ferocious winds and pummeling rains before making its way west.
At least 100 homes on Hawaiʻi Island have reportedly sustained storm damage, including one house that was swept off its foundations by flooding.
While the entire island felt the impacts of Hurricane Lala, which has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda said the storm was “especially critical for the south side.”
‘Devastation’ in Kaʻū District
Along with emergency officials, the mayor conducted an aerial survey of the island on Sunday morning to assess the aftermath of Lala. He said he saw “devastation” in the Kaʻū District and counted six bridges in the area that had been significantly damaged or destroyed.
Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency Acting Administrator Darryl Oliveira, who joined the flyover, said he expects the storm has done long-term damage to the district’s roads and bridges, which will hamper access for residents.
“(It’s) definitely the worst flooding damage that I've seen out in the Kaʻū area,” he said during a press conference midday on Sunday.
The community of Pāhala has been completely cut off, according to Alameda. He said that the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation and the county’s Department of Public Works were working to restore a roadway connection to Pāhala, which has the region’s only hospital.
“That’s a critical access hospital for us, and so we need to get access to that ASAP,” he said.
Nāʻālehu and Waiʻōhinu were also partially cut off. As of Sunday, the highway heading toward Hilo had been blocked, and the towns were only accessible from Kona.
Search-and-rescue operations
Hawaiʻi County also reported in the early hours of Sunday morning that emergency responders had initiated search-and-rescue operations in Nāʻālehu and Waiʻōhinu in response to residents who had called 911 as their neighborhoods were flooding.
Acting Hawaiʻi County Fire Chief Daniel Volpe said one resident was “swept away” during the storm. She was located Sunday morning by emergency responders and transported to a hospital after sustaining moderate injuries.
Volpe said that there are no additional reports of missing persons at this time, but that emergency personnel were continuing operations in Kaʻū’s isolated communities until all areas had been searched.
So far, no fatalities associated with the storm have been reported. Volpe said one person died in a car collision in Ocean View on Saturday morning, but there’s no indication at this time that the accident resulted from storm conditions.
Damages and power outages
Residents elsewhere endured high winds and heavy rainfall, especially in communities along the island’s windward side.
The National Weather Service reported that by Sunday morning, parts of Laupāhoehoe on the Hāmakua Coast received more than three and a half feet of rain.
More than half of Hawaiian Electric’s customers on Hawaiʻi Island woke up Sunday morning without power, and the utility said that some customers might not have their electricity restored for weeks.
Hawaiʻi County has launched a damage report form for residents impacted by Lala. Vibrant Hawaiʻi, a community partner of the county, is also fielding requests for assistance.
