Did flash floods sweep homes away during Tropical Storm Lala?
Search-and-rescue crews hunted for families after floodwaters may have moved occupied homes near Hawaii's South Point as outages topped 200,000.
Tropical Storm Lala did not need a textbook landfall to put Hawaiian families in danger. By Sunday morning, the public scoreboard was floodwater, missing houses, and a dark island grid.
The Associated Press reported that Lala weakened to a tropical storm after its eyewall skirted the Big Island, then kept punishing windward slopes with hurricane-force gusts and rain that reached nearly three feet in places. In the coastal communities of Na'alehu and Wai'ohinu near South Point, authorities said flash floods apparently swept several occupied homes off their foundations. Hawaii County launched a search-and-rescue mission that included Civil Defense, the National Guard, and a Coast Guard helicopter. Mayor Kimo Alameda put the difficulty in plain words: rushing water, debris, boulders on the road, and darkness.
That is the family stake. A near miss on the map is not a near miss when water moves a house. Gov. Josh Green had already reported at least one weather-related death in a vehicle wreck in the South Point area on Saturday. BBC coverage separately noted roads blocked by fast water and fallen trees, postponed flights, and Maui water-service trouble while crews could not safely finish repairs.
The National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. HST Sunday advisory kept the whole main island chain under a Tropical Storm Warning. Lala was centered about 75 miles south of Honolulu with maximum sustained winds near 70 mph, moving northwest near 14 mph and expected to turn west, with its core forecast to stay south of the smaller islands. The hazard was still water and wind on land. NHC expected storm-total rainfall of 30 to 35 inches over the windward Big Island, additional rain spreading west, and life-threatening flooding or mudslides in steep terrain. A Molokai station had already reported a 53 mph sustained wind and a 69 mph gust. AP cited National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Parker saying gusts topped 100 mph at Mauna Kea and urging people to stay home while downed lines and flooding were cleaned up.
Honolulu felt the westward push overnight. The Honolulu Fire Department logged dozens of weather calls by 2 a.m., including 58 downed trees, 39 blown roofs, 12 downed power lines, 12 arcing-wire situations, and one swimmer rescue, AP reported. PowerOutage.us showed more than 200,000 homes and businesses without electricity Sunday morning across Hawaii's three largest islands. Green said at least three hospitals were on generator power. BBC put Saturday flight disruption near 190 postponed trips, with large cancellation shares at Kona and Hilo.
The useful checklist is local and practical: whether search crews account for every household near South Point; whether power, water, and hospital backup systems hold; whether Oahu and Kauai flood totals stay inside the forecast; and how fast airports reopen for families and freight. Lala's center can stay offshore and still leave a long rebuild bill.
Sources
- Associated Press report on Tropical Storm Lala damage in Hawaii
- BBC report on Lala’s Hawaii impacts
- National Hurricane Center advisory on Tropical Storm Lala
- National Hurricane Center discussion of Tropical Storm Lala
- National Hurricane Center cyclone information
- FOX Weather coverage of Hurricane Lala