© 2026 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Photos: Hawaiʻi Island prepares for Hurricane Nolo

Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By HPR News Staff
Published September 26, 2026 at 10:53 AM HST
Nāʻālehu resident Joe Steele fills up gas cans at the townʻs gas station on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in preparation for Hurricane Nolo.
Tori DeJournett
/
HPR
Nāʻālehu resident Joe Steele fills up gas cans at the town's gas station on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in preparation for Hurricane Nolo.

Hurricane Nolo strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane Friday evening after a hurricane watch was issued across Hawaiʻi County. Although the center is forecast to remain well south of the main Hawaiian Islands, heavy rain and flooding are still anticipated for Hawaiʻi Island and Maui through the weekend, and forecasters predicted parts of the island could see up to 35 inches of rain.

Across the island, residents were seen preparing for the impending storm, as many of them were still recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Lala in August.

Kenzielynn Kekoa, center, of Hilo, Hawaii, helps her family fill sand bags as Hurricane Nolo approaches in Hilo, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Eugene Garcia
/
AP
Kenzielynn Kekoa, center, helps her family fill sand bags as Hurricane Nolo approaches in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
HOPE Services Hawaiʻi staff were out on the Big Island Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, helping people experiencing homelessness prepare for Hurricane Nolo.
HOPE Services Hawaiʻi
HOPE Services Hawaiʻi staff were out on the Big Island Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, helping people experiencing homelessness prepare for Hurricane Nolo.
A sandpile is seen Arthur L. Greenwell Park in Kealakekua on Hawaiʻi Island. The Hawaiʻi County Department of Public Works is providing sandpiles so residents can make their own sandbags.
Tori DeJournett
/
HPR
A sandpile is seen Arthur L. Greenwell Park in Kealakekua on Hawaiʻi Island. The Hawaiʻi County Department of Public Works provided sandpiles so residents could make their own sandbags.
Louie Taasan places sand bags along his driveway as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii.
Gregory Bull
/
AP
Louie Taasan places sandbags along his driveway as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.
Recovery efforts are still underway near the Punaluʻu Bake Shop where Hurricane Lala swept through and caused extensive damage in August.
Tori Dejournett
/
HPR
Recovery efforts are still underway near the Punaluʻu Bake Shop where Hurricane Lala swept through and caused extensive damage in August.
Debris behind the 76 gas station in Nāʻālehu left behind by Hurricane Lala.
Tori Dejournett
/
HPR
Debris behind the 76 gas station in Nāʻālehu left behind by Hurricane Lala.
Britta Jacobson was taking shelter under a pavilion at Mānuka Natural Area Reserve near Ocean View midday on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
Tori DeJournett
/
HPR
Britta Jacobson was taking shelter under a pavilion at Mānuka Natural Area Reserve near Ocean View midday on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. She had loaded up her truck with supplies and left her home in Nāʻālehu earlier that morning. During Hurricane Lala, the road out of Jacobson’s subdivision, Green Sands, was completely washed out. Jacobson worried that if Nolo hit with the same force as Lala, she could get trapped.
Chase Gabin fishes among the rocks as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Gregory Bull
/
AP
Chase Gabin fishes among the rocks as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi County crews worked ahead of Hurricane Nolo to mitigate flood risks.
Hawaiʻi County
As part of preparations, Hawaiʻi County has been removing debris from the Waiʻōhinu flood channel and the retention basin for the Nāʻālehu flood channel. The Nāʻālehu flood channel was previously cleared.
A Recovery Center was set up at the Sgt. Rodney J.T. Yano Memorial Hall in Captain Cook, Hawaiʻi Island on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
Tori DeJournett
/
HPR
A Recovery Center was set up at the Sgt. Rodney J.T. Yano Memorial Hall in Captain Cook, Hawaiʻi Island on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
The American Red Cross set up at the Sgt. Rodney J.T. Yano Memorial Hall in Captain Cook, Hawaiʻi Island on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
Tori DeJournett
/
HPR
The American Red Cross set up at the Sgt. Rodney J.T. Yano Memorial Hall in Captain Cook, Hawaiʻi Island on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
A man walks past a closed ticket counter for Southwest Airlines lined with sandbags at Hilo International Airport as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Gregory Bull
/
AP
A man walks past a closed ticket counter for Southwest Airlines lined with sandbags at Hilo International Airport as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby.
Two of six Hawaii National Guard Task Force Hawaii High Water Vehicles staged at Keaukaha Military Reservation in Hilo. There are about 120 Guardsmen in TF Hawaiʻi ready to support Hawaiʻi County.
Sgt. Randall Corpuz
/
Hawaiʻi Department of Defense
Two of six Hawaiʻi National Guard Task Force Hawaii High Water Vehicles staged at Keaukaha Military Reservation in Hilo. There are about 120 Guardsmen in TF Hawaiʻi ready to support Hawaiʻi County.
A downed power line seen on Mamalahoa Highway on Friday, Sep
Tori Dejournett
/
HPR
A downed power line seen on Hawaiʻi Belt Road, also known as Māmalahoa Highway, on Friday, Sept. 25, as Hurricane Nolo neared Hawaiʻi Island.
A person hands out food
HOPE Services Hawaiʻi
HOPE Services Hawaiʻi staff were out on the Big Island connecting people with shelter and distributing tarps to those who remained outdoors ahead of the storm.
Tags
Local News Weather
HPR News Staff
See stories by HPR News Staff
Related Stories