Hawai‘i County reports rising shelter numbers and widespread power outages as Hurricane Lala stalls

Hurricane Lala continued to batter the Big Island on Saturday, producing heavy rain, wind gusts near 90 mph and flooding across North and South Kohala, Hāmākua, Hilo, Puna and Ka‘ū districts. By late evening, county officials said shelter occupancy rose from 130 to 140 people and about five vehicle-stranding rescues were completed.

Mayor Kimo Alameda ordered road crews back to their bases, citing unsafe conditions. He noted one fatality in Ocean View and warned that falling trees and downed power lines posed a serious hazard.

"Trees are falling, electrical wires are getting to the ground level. Electrical wires plus water and a human being are not a good combination," Alameda said.

The National Weather Service recorded 10 to 17 inches of rain in the past 12 hours across East Hawai‘i. Hawaiian Electric reported that more than 63,000 customers, including the entire east and south sides of the island, Waimea and Honokaʻa, were without electricity. Damage to a 42-mile stretch of transmission lines on the Hāmākua Coast will require inspection before repairs can begin.

Four independent power producers on the island remain disconnected, raising the possibility that Hawaiian Electric may need to implement temporary load-shedding to protect the grid. The outages have raised concerns about refrigerated medication, oxygen supplies and the operation of water-pump stations, which now rely on generators at four wastewater treatment plants.

Community groups responded with assistance for the homeless. Hope Service Hawai‘i’s outreach team distributed supplies and offered rides to shelters, while Parker Ranch reported flooding and downed trees on its property and urged caution.

"The safety of our employees, animals, and the greater Waimea community remains our highest priority," said Micah Kāne, president and CEO of Parker Ranch.

Hawaiian Electric said restoration efforts would prioritize safety and essential services, noting that outage figures are a snapshot and may change as repairs progress.