Hurricane “Lala“ hit the Hawaiian Islands with strong winds and heavy rains, killing at least one person and leaving more than 124,000 customers without power. The Big Island of Hawaii was the hardest hit.
The storm strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday with maximum sustained winds of about 120 km/h. According to the latest information from the US weather service, a direct landfall of the eye of the hurricane is no longer expected. The center of “Lala“ passes west of the Big Island.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green reported that one person died in a serious car accident in the area of South Point, the southernmost point of the Big Island, while The storm was closest to land.
Authorities urged residents to stay off the roads because of flooding, downed trees and power lines.
Two homes in the Naalehu area were swept away by flash flooding Saturday night, CBS News reported.
The extent of the power outages has increased dramatically. While Reuters reported about 43,000 customers affected on Saturday, the number had already exceeded 124,000 by Sunday, according to data cited by CBS News.
Fallen trees have knocked down power poles and damaged power lines on the Big Island. Hawaiian Electric warned that in some places it could take a long time to restore power.
The risk of flooding and landslides remains particularly serious. In the Nahuku area of the “Hawaii Volcanoes“ National Park, 20.74 inches of rain - about 527 mm by Saturday evening.
Earlier, the National Hurricane Center predicted between 10 and 20 inches of rain for the Big Island, and in some places - up to 25 inches, or about 635 mm. Meteorologists warned that such amounts could cause life-threatening flooding and landslides, especially in mountainous areas.
Extremely strong winds were recorded at the summit of Mauna Kea. CBS reports values up to 140 miles per hour, or about 225 km / h, at high altitude.
Authorities temporarily closed Hilo International Airport and Allison Onizuka Kona International Airport on the Big Island. Commercial ports on the Big Island and in Maui County were also closed.
About 180 members of the Hawaii National Guard are mobilized to assist emergency responders.
As of early Sunday, the center of “Lala“ was located approximately 105 km west of Kailua-Kona and moving northwest.
The latest forecasts indicate a gradual weakening of the system as it moves away from the Big Island. The official marine forecast of the US National Weather Service expects “Lala“ to weaken from a hurricane to a tropical storm as it continues westward across the central Pacific Ocean.
Although direct landfall is no longer expected, the danger has not passed. Heavy rainfall, flooding, landslides, dangerous storm surge and power outages remain the main risks for Hawaii.