At least one person has died after Hurricane Lala pelted Hawaii with strong winds and torrential rain.
The core of the first tropical storm to form in the central Pacific this year ‘brushed’ just south of Big Island yesterday.
Lala brought with it winds of up to 91mph, dumped 25 inches of rain and whipped up a 3ft storm surge, a change in sea level.
One person died in a ‘terrible car accident’ as the storm rolled by, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said.
County mayor Kimo Alameda urged residents on Facebook this morning to ‘stay home, stay sheltered, stay safe!’ as the storm now pulls back.
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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration warned yesterday evening that the ‘damaging’ Category 1 hurricane will continue Sunday.
More than 60,000 are without power and two homes in Naalehu have been swept away by ‘life-threatening’ floods, Honolulu-Star Advertiser reports.
Mudslides are a major worry among those living around Mauna Kea volcano, where many live off the grid and in ramshackle homes.
The weather agency added: ‘Preparations to protect life and property should now be complete.’
Lala will begin to weaken as it passes south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands, though it may strengthen next week.
Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Lanai, Kauai and Ni’ihau remain under tropical storm warnings, while most of the islands are at risk of floods.
‘I think stocking up is part of life over here’
Big Island, home to 210,000, is Hawaii’s largest island.
Locals began to hunker down on Friday, packing into gymnasiums, courthouses and schools-turned-shelters, emptying supermarkets of food, petrol and sandbags and tying posessions down, according to Hawaii News Now.
Bobby Camara, 75, told The Associated Press that he planned to shelter, ‘cross my fingers and hope the lights don’t go out’ at his care home in Hilo.
‘I think stocking up is part of life over here,’ he said, adding: ‘You learn to be self-reliant.’
Mike Caputo, who lives in Keaau on Big Island’s east coast, said albizia, a common large tree, is so brittle that the storm may easily down it.
‘They can make roads impassable,’ he added.
Nearly 40 roads have been shut due to mudslides and trees and power lines torn down by the winds, county officials said.
Christine Matsuda, who lives in Waimea, said the gusts have ‘rattled’ her home.
‘We’re finding unexpected leaks in places that don’t see water under normal conditions,’ she said.
Hilo International Airport (ITO) and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA) were closed yesterday, postponing 190 flights.
A notice on their websites says: ‘Due to the declared state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Lala, travellers are strongly advised to check directly with their airline for the most up-to-date status and travel advisories.’
Hurricanes are circular storms that form over warm waters, with very low air pressure at the centre. Unlike a typhoon, they form in the North Atlantic, the northeastern Pacific, the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico.
Only 19 hurricanes have passed within 100 miles of Hawaii, most during periods of El Niño, a weather system that blows warm ocean water west.
Lala would have been the hurricane to make landfall in 34 years if initial projections were correct.
The hurricane rolled onto the island two days after Kīlauea, a volcano along the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island, erupted.
For some 10 hours, lava flowed and spurts reached 500ft, with officials warning another episode is likely.
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