Hurricane

Aug. 17 (UPI) — As of Monday, Lala has moved away from Hawaii, but the hurricane — a tropical storm as of Sunday — left widespread damage in its wake.

The storm brought intense rain and high winds to the islands, although it didn’t make landfall. By Monday, it was moving to the west, getting stronger and expected to become a hurricane again at sea. Behind it, Hawaii’s residents began to clean up the damage — and a lot of mud.

The flooding swept about 100 homes off their foundations on Hawaii’s Big Island. Gov. Josh Green said that no one was believed to have died in those incidents. A car crash Sunday that killed one person is no longer considered to be related to Lala, CNN reported.

“Everyone is safe and healthy,” Green said, CBS News reported. “But, boy, a lot of work ahead.”

Tens of thousands of people were without power Monday. The heavy rainfall set off landslides that also wiped out roads. Kimo Alameda, mayor of Hawaii County, said power restoration in some areas could take days or longer and that six bridges were at least partially destroyed.

In a social media post Monday, Alameda said that the Department of Water Supply is asking all Hawaii (Big) Island customers to limit water use to essential purposes only.

All state and county offices, schools and courts were closed Monday.

Five places on the islands received 35 inches or more of rain, and Kapalua in Maui County received 48 inches.

The National Hurricane Center said Monday that Lala is moving west and expected to turn toward the west-northwest and northwest on Wednesday and Thursday. Its maximum sustained winds are now about 65 mph. It could become a hurricane again by Tuesday.

“Large waves generated by Lala will continue to trend down from east to west across the Hawaiian waters, but life-threatening surf and rip current conditions will persist today,” the NHC said.

The devastating hurricane grazes the Big Island in Hawaii in the US, but avoids making landfall.

Hurricane Lala has weakened from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm after passing south of Hawaii, but meteorologists warned that hurricane-force gusts could still batter the islands with flash flooding and punishing winds.

On Saturday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a hurricane warning for the Big Island, which has not suffered a direct hurricane landfall in 155 years.

But as tropical storm winds soared west from Maui to Oahu and Kauai on Sunday, Hurricane Lala drifted past, edging the Hawaiian coast and just escaping primary impact zones.

Still, pounding waves crashed against the shore of the Big Island. Wild squalls bent tall palm trees, and fierce sideways rain swelled rivers.

Up to one metre (three feet) of rain was expected on higher windward slopes. Such a torrent could turn rivers into turbulent floods and cause life-threatening mudslides. The NHC said in an advisory published early Sunday morning that rainfall totals could even reach up to 90cm (35 inches) in some areas of the Big Island.

More than 60,000 households were without power, and three hospitals switched to generator power, Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green said Saturday evening.

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 “enormous storm”. 

Christine Matsuda, who lives in Waimea, on the northern side of the island, told the Associated Press that “big gusts every few minutes rattle the whole house”.

Tropical storm warnings remain active for Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai, and Niihau. Dire conditions continue to lash the Hawaiian coast as monster waves drive coastal erosion and severe flooding plagues communities across the US state. The westward-moving storm raises fears among residents regarding heavy floods and strong winds that could spark catastrophic wildfires in the Aloha State.

Hurricane Lala disrupted travel between Los Angeles and Hawaii on Saturday, canceling flights from LAX to destinations across the islands as the Category 1 storm approached the Big Island.

Several flights from LAX to Hawaii were canceled Saturday, including service to Kona, Maui, Kauai and Honolulu. Canceled flights included United Flight 2373 to Kona, United Flight 2221 and American Airlines Flight 205 to Maui, United Flight 1295 to Kauai and United Flight 1170 to Honolulu. A return United flight from Kona to LAX scheduled for Saturday night was also canceled.

Many other flights between LAX and Hawaii continued to operate Saturday, with some experiencing delays.

Lala strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, as it approached the southern end of the Big Island. Forecasters warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with as much as 25 inches of rain possible at higher elevations. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green urged residents to shelter in place as rainfall reached 2 inches an hour in some areas.

If Lala makes landfall, it would be the first hurricane to do so on the Big Island in 155 years.

Hawaii transportation officials moved to close Hilo International Airport and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole on Saturday. Airlines had no more flights scheduled from Hilo for the day and none from Kona after 2 p.m., according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines canceled 54 inter-island flights and 11 trans-Pacific flights Saturday because of the storm. Five of the canceled trans-Pacific flights were to or from Kona. Affected passengers were being accommodated on later flights.

Several airlines offered travelers more flexibility to change their plans. Hawaiian, United and Southwest offered travel waivers allowing customers to change affected flights at no extra cost.

The travel disruptions were also creating uncertainty for LAX travelers. One traveler on Reddit said they were scheduled to fly from LAX to Kona on Sunday afternoon. “I am praying my flight doesn’t get cancelled,” the traveler wrote.

Flight attendant Cheryl DeFonce, meanwhile, wrote on Instagram that she and a colleague had been scheduled to work and fly to Kona on Saturday, but their flights in both directions were canceled. “Prayers to all of our friends in Hawaii & crews flying to/from the islands!” she wrote.

The Big Island airports were expected to resume operations Sunday, depending on conditions after the storm.

July 28 (UPI) — Hurricane Genevieve remained a powerful Category 4 storm Monday night in the Pacific, according to forecasters who said it was bringing life-threatening surf and rip-current conditions to the Baja California Peninsula.

The storm was located about 505 miles southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. MST update. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and was moving northwest at 12 mph.

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, though forecasters said swells generated by Genevieve were affecting portions of the southwestern coast of Mexico and the Baja California Peninsula.

“These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the NHC said.

Although it remained a major hurricane, forecasters expected it to steadily weaken over the next several days, during which it is forecast to move northwest to west-northwest.