Hurricane Lowell knocks out power to tens of thousands in Hawaii, flood risk persists
Hurricane Lowell's strong winds and heavy rain caused widespread outages and road blockages on Kauai, while officials warned of ongoing flood and mudslide hazards across the islands.
Damaging winds and heavy rain from Hurricane Lowell struck Hawaii's western islands early Tuesday, leaving thousands without electricity and creating road blockages from debris. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative said nearly all of its members lost power, and utility tracker PowerOutage.us recorded about 42,000 customers without electricity across the state by mid-afternoon.
Hanalei on Kauai reported the highest rainfall, measuring 17.76 inches, and some areas could see up to 24 inches. Storm debris and boulders blocked roads, isolating neighborhoods, and a waterfront home was lifted off its foundation and moved across the street, according to local footage.
"As the light comes up and the extent of the damage from Hurricane Lowell comes into focus, we want to ensure that no additional emergency situations arise unnecessarily," said Elton Ushio, administrator of the local emergency management agency.
Residents expressed concern about the conditions. Tourist Dave Reed, who was in the area for a wedding, described the experience as frightening and said he would not repeat it. Local diabetic Andrew Davis Henry said he was seeking ice to keep his insulin cold amid the power outage and loss of cell service.
The storm's center passed west of the islands and was moving away, but tropical-storm-force winds extended beyond the core. At Lihue Airport, sustained winds were just above 50 mph, with gusts reaching 80 mph. By Tuesday morning, hurricane warnings for Kauai and Niihau and the tropical storm warning for Oahu had been lifted, though officials warned that flooding and mudslides could continue throughout the day.
Road crews began clearing sand and rocks from a major route on Oahu's western edge after floodwaters overtopped a coastal highway north of Honolulu. Governor Josh Green ordered schools and government offices on the three affected islands to close for Tuesday in anticipation of the storm.
The National Hurricane Center noted that Lowell, now a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, was moving north at 15 mph and expected to weaken in the coming days, but warned that urban and low-lying areas could still face significant flash flooding and mudslides.