1 death linked to Tropical Storm Lala as 117,000 remain without power in Hawaii

A deadly storm leaves a trail of damage

Hurricane Lala, which battered Hawaii over the weekend before weakening to a tropical storm, has been linked to one death and has left a wide swath of destruction across the islands. The storm uprooted trees from downtown Honolulu to the Big Island, where intense flash-flooding and strong winds isolated already-remote communities, according to The Manila Times.

The sole fatality was a woman who had been reported missing in Naalehu and was found dead on Monday, the paper reported. The Guardian identified the victim as a 90-year-old woman. Additional details about the death were not immediately available, The Manila Times said.

Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm on Sunday after lashing the state without making landfall, and it was projected to continue moving westward and to become a hurricane again by Wednesday, far from land, The Manila Times reported.

Power outages and restoration efforts

The storm's strong winds took down trees, utility poles and transmission towers, leaving more than 117,000 customers without power as of Monday, according to Hawaiian Electric, as reported by The Manila Times. The utility said the Big Island's power transmission system suffered "extensive damage."

Crews worked overnight to restore power to thousands across the Big Island, Maui and Oahu, The Guardian reported. While most public schools reopened, Hawaii county's non-emergency operations were still suspended, officials told The Guardian.

The 911 emergency service number was temporarily out of service on the Big Island because hurricane impacts were affecting radio and telephone communications, according to the Hawaii Police Department. Service was back up by the afternoon with a few disruptions, The Manila Times reported.

Communities remain isolated

On the southern end of the Big Island, communities remained isolated, cut off from communication with roads blocked by debris, according to both The Manila Times and The Guardian. Floodwaters also disturbed some grave sites, The Manila Times reported.

State Rep. Jeanné Kapela described her district as "in shambles," with communities trapped by collapsed and debris-blocked roads, including Punaluu, which she said was home to about 100 households. She also said two cemeteries in Naalehu were "washed out," according to The Manila Times.

Tom Callis, a spokesperson for Hawaii County, said the cemetery areas where iwi kupuna (ancestral remains) were dispersed have been cordoned off and no work is happening there, The Manila Times reported.

Governor: recovery 'somewhat brisk'

Gov. Josh Green said Monday that damage was not as catastrophic as feared and that recovery will be "somewhat brisk," The Guardian reported. The Manila Times quoted him as saying, "In spite of this loss of one beautiful person, it could have been a lot worse." He said he was hopeful the hardest-hit areas would be accessible within days.

Authorities said about 100 homes were swept from their foundations and washed away on the Big Island, and no one was reported missing, The Manila Times reported. The same account said floodwaters disturbed grave sites, and officials cordoned off the affected cemeteries.

According to The Manila Times, the storm dropped 43.54 inches of rain on Laupahoehoe on the northeast coast of the Big Island, the heaviest recorded rainfall. Mauna Kea saw the highest winds, with gusts up to 140 mph. Lower elevations experienced tropical storm-force winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Blood, who said winds were no longer a threat but landslides could still occur due to heavy rainfall.

A new storm approaches

As Hawaii begins to recover, Tropical Storm Moke is bringing additional flooding and gusty winds to the state, according to forecasters. The storm is impacting the Big Island and will bring rain to other islands through Monday, per a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center advisory reported by NPR.

"This rainfall may produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides for the windward and southeast Big Island, especially in deep terrain and over areas that were recently affected by Lala," the center said in the advisory, as quoted by NPR.

Moke is not expected to make landfall and will pass to the south of the Hawaiian islands, but up to 15 inches of rain could fall across the Big Island and 3 to 6 inches on eastern Maui, the center said.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda encouraged residents to prepare for what he described as "another battering" from Moke, saying "Please anticipate interruptions in power and communication and hazardous road conditions," NPR reported.

Moke comes less than a week after Hurricane Lala battered the islands, NPR noted. Lala, now downgraded to a tropical storm and moving northwest across the Pacific Ocean away from Hawaii at a slower speed, did not make landfall but dropped more than 30 inches of rain on some parts of Hawaii in a short period, according to NPR. That heavy rainfall triggered floods and mudslides that destroyed roads and bridges and lifted homes from their foundations.

Federal response and outlook

Gov. Green signed a request asking the White House to declare an emergency in the wake of Hurricane Lala, NPR reported. Federal officials have pledged recovery help, and Sen. Brian Schatz said he spoke with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about federal support and urged approval of emergency funding, The Manila Times reported.

By Monday, coastal watches and warnings had been lifted, but life-threatening surf and rip current conditions remained, according to the National Hurricane Center, as reported by The Manila Times. Drivers were urged to use alternate routes, the paper added.

Meanwhile, Hawaiian Electric said more than 8,000 people were still without power as of Saturday morning, with full restoration not expected until Sept. 8, NPR reported.