T opical
Sto m
Lala
st e gthe ed
o
the
Big
Isla d
of
Hawaii
(Pictu e
c edit:
AP)
Hawaii’s
Big
Isla d
faced
the
th eat
of
its
fi st
possible
di ect
hu ica e
hit
i
155
yea s
o
Satu day
as
Hu ica e
Lala
st e gthe ed
i to
a
Catego y
1
sto m,
b i gi g
powe ful
wi ds,
heavy
ai
a d
da ge ous
su f
to
the
egio .The
Natio al
Hu ica e
Ce t e
said
Lala’s
maximum
sustai ed
wi ds
had
eached
120
kmph.The
sto m’s
ce t e
was
fo ecast
to
move
ove
o
ve y
close
to
the
southe
e d
of
the
Big
Isla d
by
Satu day
eve i g,
with
fo ecaste s
wa i g
of
life-th eate i g
floodi g
a d
mudslides.The
Big
Isla d,
home
to
about
210,000
people,
was
u de
a
hu ica e
wa i g,
while
t opical
sto m
wa i gs
we e
issued
fo
Maui,
Molokai,
La ai,
Kahoolawe,
Oahu,
Kauai
a d
Niihau.
Heavy
ai ,
floodi g
a d
powe
outages
aise
co ce s
Heavy
ai ,
floodi g
a d
powe
outages
aise
co ce s
Rai fall
was
al eady
falli g
heavily
ac oss
pa ts
of
Hawaii
as
Lala
app oached.
Hawaii
Gove o
Josh
G ee
said
ai fall
had
eached
about
5
cm
a
hou
a d
u ged
eside ts
to
shelte
i
place.Fo ecaste s
wa ed
that
highe
elevatio s
of
the
Big
Isla d
could
eceive
as
much
as
63.5
cm
of
ai ,
aisi g
the
isk
of
da ge ous
mudslides
i
the
isla d’s
mou tai ous
te ai .The
Natio al
Hu ica e
Ce t e
fo ecast
25.4
to
51
cm
of
ai
fo
the
Big
Isla d,
with
isolated
totals
pote tially
eachi g
63.5
cm,
acco di g
to
Reute s.
The
sto m
also
dis upted
elect icity
supplies.
Mo e
tha
40,000
utility
custome s
ac oss
Hawaii
we e
without
powe ,
Reute s
epo ted,
citi g
powe outage.com.
O
the
Big
Isla d
alo e,
mo e
tha
31,000
custome s
we e
without
elect icity.Hawaiia
Elect ic
wa ed
of
possible
exte ded
outages,
pote tially
lasti g
ove ight.
Falle
t ees
had
also
damaged
powe
i f ast uctu e
alo g
a
67.6-km
st etch
of
t a smissio
li es
o
the
Hamakua
Coast
of
the
Big
Isla d.The
Hawaii
Depa tme t
of
T a spo tatio
closed
Hilo
I te atio al
Ai po t
a d
said
it
would
also
close
Elliso
O izuka
Ko a
I te atio al
Ai po t
at
Keahole.
Comme cial
po ts
o
Hawaii
Isla d,
Maui
Cou ty
a d
Kauai
we e
also
closed.The
sto m
was
also
p oduci g
powe ful
wi ds
at
highe
elevatio s.
The
Mau akea
Weathe
Ce t e
eco ded
gusts
exceedi g
100
mph,
o
about
161
kmph,
o
the
Big
Isla d’s
highest
peak.
Reside ts
b ace
fo
a
pote tially
dest uctive
sto m
Reside ts
b ace
fo
a
pote tially
dest uctive
sto m
The
th eat
has
p ompted
eside ts
to
p epa e
fo
floodi g,
falli g
t ees
a d
exte ded
powe
cuts.Bobby
Cama a,
a
75-yea -old
lifelo g
Big
Isla d
eside t,
said
he
pla ed
to
“hu ke
dow ,
c oss
my
fi ge s,
hope
the
lights
do ‘t
go
out”
at
a
ca e
home
ea
Hilo.
He
said
eside ts
had
bee
stocki g
up
o
fuel
a d
othe
supplies.“I
thi k
stocki g
up
is
pa t
of
life
ove
he e…
You
lea
to
be
self- elia t,”
Cama a
said,
as
cited
by
ews
age cy
AP.Mike
Caputo,
a
local
fi e
captai
who
lives
ea
Keaau,
said
his
ge e ato
was
eady
a d
his
10,000-gallo
wate
ta k
was
full.
He
said
flash
floodi g
a d
falle
t ees
we e
amo g
the
biggest
co ce s.“It
does ‘t
take
la dfall
to
c eate
dest uctio ,”
Natio al
Weathe
Se vice
meteo ologist
Va essa
Alma za
said.The
pote tial
th eat
is
pa ticula ly
sig ifica t
because
a
Catego y
3
hu ica e
st uck
the
o theaste
co e
of
the
Big
Isla d
i
1871,
acco di g
to
esea ch
by
a
U ive sity
of
Hawaii
atmosphe ic
scie tist.
Lala’s
latest
fo ecast
had
it
passi g
“ve y
close
to
the
southe
tip
of
the
Big
Isla d”,
Alma za
said.The
sto m
also
aised
co ce s
about
wildfi es
i
pa ts
of
Hawaii
outside
its
immediate
path.
St o g,
d y
wi ds
ca
i c ease
fi e
isks,
a
co ce
heighte ed
by
the
devastati g
2023
Lahai a
wildfi e,
which
occu ed
as
a
hu ica e
passed
south
of
Maui.Hu ica e
Lala’s
app oach
comes
as
Hawaii
co ti ues
to
deal
with
the
effects
of
ea lie
seve e
floodi g.
Officials
have
ope ed
shelte s
a d
ca celled
eve ts,
while
a che s
have
bee
advised
to
leave
cattle
i
ope
pastu es
athe
tha
pote tially
vul e able
st uctu es.The
Natio al
Hu ica e
Ce t e
wa ed
that
Lala’s
ai fall
could
p oduce
“life-th eate i g
floodi g
a d
mudslides,
especially
i
a eas
of
steep
te ai ”.