Hurricane Lala weakened to a tropical storm Sunday after skirting Hawaii without making landfall, but it wasn’t done punishing the Big Island with hurricane-force gusts. Total rainfall of nearly three feet (one meter) was expected on the higher windward slopes, turning rivers into raging torrents and threatening mudslides.
Tropical storm conditions were spreading westward Sunday from Maui to Oahu and then Kauai, and the National Hurricane Center warned that wind speeds atop mountains and on the windward and leeward slopes are often up to 30% stronger than the near-surface winds used to categorize storms.
Powerful waves pounded the Big Island鈥檚 coast as Lala slowly passed by. Howling winds whipped palm trees and waterways swelled with fast-moving runoff from relentless rain that blew nearly sideways.
More than 60,000 households were without power, along with three hospitals that switched to generator power, Gov. Josh Green said.
At least one person died in a car accident in the South Point area of the Big Island, while 19 roofs were lost in the 鈥渆normous storm,鈥� the governor said Saturday evening. 鈥淭here have been a lot of roads impacted, our crews have already been out to more than 30 sites.”
What’s next for Lala
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau as the storm moves west, raising the possibility of destructive flooding and even wildfires kicked up by strong winds.
As of 2 a.m. Sunday in Hawaii, Lala was centered about 105 miles (170 kilometers) west-northwest of Kailua-Kona and about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Honolulu, with tropical-storm-force winds extending as much as 175 miles (280 km) from its center.
Lala was sustaining top winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and moving northwest at about 15 mph (24 kmh). Forecasters expect it to regain hurricane strength midweek once it’s well west of the island chain.
By the time Lala’s completely gone, some higher-altitude places on the Big Island, dominated by the towering Mauna Kea volcano, will have been hit with as much as 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain, forecasters said, enough to loosen steep slopes where some of the 210,000 islanders live off the grid in improvised housing.
Residents prepared for worst
As the hurricane approached, shelters were opened, events were canceled and ranchers were urged to leave their cattle in pastures rather than structures that might collapse. Many residents are still dealing with the aftermath of in March and were taking precautions.
Bobby Camara, a 75-year-old lifelong resident, said he planned to 鈥渉unker down, cross my fingers, hope the lights don鈥檛 go out鈥� at a care home just outside Hilo. He said gas stations were busy as people sought fuel for chain saws and vehicles.
鈥淚 think stocking up is part of life over here. … You learn to be self-reliant,鈥� Camara said.
Mike Caputo, who lives in Keaau, near the Big Island’s east coast, said his power generator was ready and a 10,000-gallon (37.8 kiloliter) home water tank was full. His main concern was flash flooding and fallen trees, especially albizia, a common tree.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not very sturdy, but they grow extremely large,鈥� said Caputo, 50, a local fire captain. 鈥淭hey can make roads impassable.”
Warnings posted everywhere
Christine Matsuda, who lives in Waimea, on the northern side of the island, said 鈥渂ig gusts every few minutes rattle the whole house.鈥�
鈥淲e’re finding unexpected leaks in places that don’t see water under normal conditions,鈥� Matsuda said.
The hurricane center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of total rainfall across Maui and the lower elevations of the Big Island, and 4 to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) across the island chain.
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Associated Press writer Jennifer Sinco Kelleher in Honolulu contributed.
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