Overview
- Lala briefly intensified to a Category 1 hurricane as it approached and then weakened to a tropical storm on Sunday after its eyewall skirted the southern tip of the Big Island.
- The storm dumped feet of rain in places, swept homes off foundations in Naʻalehu and Waiʻohinu, and caused at least one confirmed death in a South Point vehicle crash.
- More than 200,000 customers lost power, multiple airports and ports closed, three hospitals ran on generators, and emergency crews reported widespread roof and tree damage.
- State officials declared an emergency, activated the National Guard and launched multiagency search-and-rescue missions while flash-flood warnings and flood watches remain in effect across the islands.
- Forecasters warn Lala could regain strength once it moves west and note the storm’s intensity was aided by unusually warm central Pacific waters linked to the current El Niño, a rare setup for a near-direct impact on the Big Island.