Tropical Storm Lala’s Passage: Resources for Families in Hawaii

Tropical storm Lala is moving away from Hawaii after causing destructive flooding and strong winds over the weekend. The storm still carried some rain bands to Kauai early Monday morning.

The worst conditions have already passed. This gives residents and authorities room to deal with the consequences of the phenomenon.

Damage toll from Lala’s passage

More than 120,000 customers remained without electricity on the islands early Monday, according to poweroutage.us. Hurricane-force wind gusts battered Hawaii, Honolulu, and Maui counties.

At least 100 homes were damaged or lost, said Governor Josh Green on Sunday. Some homes were ripped from their foundations, according to Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda.

Rainfall was exceptionally intense: more than 1,090 millimeters fell in the mountains of the Big Island. Those rains triggered landslides and flash flooding that destroyed roads.

Hardest-hit areas and affected people

In the southeast of the Big Island, sections of Pāhala Road collapsed during the night from Saturday to Sunday. This collapse cut off access to an area where one of the few hospitals in the region is located.

The collapse left up to 2,500 residents of Pāhala isolated. A longtime resident, Deborah Funai Brown, called the incident «catastrophic» to a local media outlet.

Rescue teams managed to save an elderly woman who became trapped in a tree when her house was swept away by water. At another location, occupants of a vehicle stranded in flood waters were rescued.

What resources are available for affected families

Federal authorities are still evaluating whether Lala warrants a disaster declaration. As of now, FEMA’s official list for Hawaii does not show a specific declaration for this storm.

Without a presidential declaration, direct FEMA assistance to households is not yet available. Therefore, experts recommend monitoring DisasterAssistance.gov and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) website for official updates.

Those with property damage should file an insurance claim as soon as possible. Hawaii’s Division of Insurance warns that a standard homeowners policy does not cover flood damage. Wind coverage depends on each individual policy.

Shelters, hotlines, and community support

On Oahu, authorities opened eight hurricane shelters. In Hawaii County, about 130 people had gone to shelters by Saturday, according to the mayor.

Hawaii County also made sandbags available to residents at various points on the island. The American Red Cross deployed supplies and volunteers before the storm’s arrival.

Organizations like Global Empowerment Mission, with permanent staff in Hawaii since the Maui fires, are already coordinating support with state and community partners. Residents can check ready.hawaii.gov to find active shelters and official alerts.

Closures and transportation after the storm

Green announced that all state and county offices, schools, courts, and judicial branch offices would remain closed on Monday. Many roads in Hawaii County remain closed due to fallen trees and downed power lines.

More than 190 flights to and from Hawaii were delayed over the weekend. Another 52 flights were canceled, although the state’s airports remained open.

«We need all residents and visitors to heed all warnings, move to a safe shelter, and stay away from roads,» Alameda said.

Risks that persist after the storm

Hawaii’s emergency management agency warned that deadly hazards remain, including flooded areas and downed power lines. The greatest challenge in restoring electricity is removing downed trees, according to Major General Stephen Logan of the Hawaii National Guard.

Randy Collins, director of emergency management for Honolulu, warned that many casualties occur after a disaster. This happens when people clean up with heavy machinery, chainsaws, and generators near downed power lines.

«I just want to urge everyone to make sure they do cleanup work safely,» Collins said.

An uncommon phenomenon in the islands

Direct landfalls of tropical systems have occurred only rarely in Hawaii’s modern weather record. The last system to make landfall was tropical storm Olivia, in Maui, in 2018.

The last hurricane to make landfall was Iniki, a Category 4, which impacted Kauai in 1992. Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane and skirted the south of the Big Island about 48 kilometers away.

A Super El Niño and a marine heat wave kept central Pacific waters warmer than usual. This fueled the system’s strength as it moved westward.