Hurricane Lala strengthened to Category 1 status as it bore down on Hawaii’s Big Island, with tropical-storm-force gusts already hitting the island early Saturday.
The storm was located about 80 miles southeast of South Point, Hawaii County, in the latest update, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph as it moved west toward the Big Island. Lala has the potential to become the first hurricane to directly strike the island in 155 years.
Gov. Josh Green called Lala “a serious storm” and warned residents that the system was intensifying, urging them to stay safe and exercise caution on the roads. The governor signed an emergency proclamation allowing the state to quickly tap a $100 million disaster fund.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen urged residents to prepare while they still had time, saying crews across Maui, Molokai and Lanai were also scrambling to get ready.
“Right now we are ready throughout the county: Maui, Molokai, Lanai. We have our personnel ready for working overtime, people you know standby crews, testing all of our generators and just making sure before that any storm comes that we’re ready, so we’re preparing right now,” Bissen told Hawaii News Now.
In flood-prone Kihei, Maui, resident Jon Corbett said his first thought was a notorious stretch of road that has flooded in the past.
“First thing I thought of was the big Kihei road flood in front of Fred’s. They just fixed the road a couple days ago and reopened it. So I’m hoping that handles the storm,” Corbett told News Now.
Across Maui, residents were tying down belongings while businesses boarded up entrances and stacked sandbags. Shoppers descended on Costco locations in Central Maui and Kahului for food, water and other supplies, while others lined up to fill their tanks. On Maui’s west side, businesses including Honu Oceanside on Front Street in Lahaina installed flood barriers to protect customers and employees.
In Captain Cook on the Big Island, Shaheer Faltas and his father-in-law, Joe Brosnan, filled sandbags Friday ahead of the storm’s arrival. Residents in Kailua-Kona were doing the same.
The Big Island has declared a state of emergency as Lala closes in, with hurricane conditions possible Saturday. Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said on Friday morning that the greatest threats would vary by location.
“If you live close to the shoreline, then it’s high surf. If you live in a different area, could be high winds. But you know, there’s also flooding involved too. So they’re aware and messages went out. And now we’re just bracing ourselves, preparing,” Alameda said.
Meteorologist Vanessa Almanza with the National Weather Service in Honolulu noted the historical significance of the approaching storm. If Lala makes landfall on the Big Island, it would be the first to do so since 1871, when a Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the island according to research by a University of Hawaii professor.
“First time since satellites,” Almanza said. “The latest forecast has it very close to the southern tip of the Big Island.”
“It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” Almanza added. “A lot of the impacts are felt outside of the hurricane.”
University of Hawaii professor Steven Businger, whose research uncovered information about the 1871 hurricane, urged calm preparation.
“I wouldn’t be afraid of what’s to come, just be prepared,” Businger said.
Lala is also bringing a major flooding threat. The Big Island could receive 10 to 20 inches of rain, with locally higher totals of up to 25 inches possible. Eastern Maui could see 8 to 12 inches, while other parts of Maui and the rest of the island chain could receive several inches. The National Hurricane Center warned the rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain.
The Big Island is under a hurricane warning, while tropical storm warnings are in effect for Maui County — including Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe — as well as Oahu and Kauai County. Schools and state education offices on Hawaii Island, Maui, Lanai and Molokai were closing for the weekend, with events canceled. Alameda said shelters would open at 6 p.m. Friday and would accept pets. Beaches, parks, landfills and transfer stations were closing through Saturday, and mass transit service was being suspended.
In the viral moment that set off the urgent preparations, forecasters had warned since Thursday that Lala was tracking toward rare direct impact on the Big Island. The storm formed quickly in the central Pacific and gained strength steadily, with an Air Force reconnaissance aircraft investigating the system to provide additional data. By Friday afternoon, Lala had reached 65 mph sustained winds, just 9 mph below hurricane threshold, with tropical-storm-force winds extending up to 220 miles from its center. The minimum central pressure was measured at 991 mb.
After passing the Big Island, Lala is forecast to turn more westward Sunday, with its center remaining south of the other main Hawaiian Islands. Some weakening is expected after the storm interacts with the Big Island, though forecasters are continuing to closely monitor the system. Those in areas under a Hurricane or Tropical Storm Warning should have preparations complete and be ready to shelter in a safe location.
The next complete advisory from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center was scheduled for 5 a.m. HST Saturday.