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An uprooted tree rests on a home after Hurricane Lala in Volcano, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall.<\/p>\n
Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Road workers are seen in front of a debris flow across Hawaii\u00a0Belt Road the day after Hurricane Lala near Pahala, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall.<\/p>\n
Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Lenea Masi stands in front of a tree that fell on her home during Hurricane Lala near Volcano, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall.<\/p>\n
Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Eric Hubner walks along a washed-out road near his home damaged by Hurricane Lala in Mountain View, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall.<\/p>\n
Stephen Lam\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
More than 100,000 people remained without power, schools were closed and 911 service was down on the Big Island on Monday morning as Hawaii assessed the damage left by Tropical Storm\u00a0Lala.<\/p>\n
In the storm\u2019s aftermath, approximately 113,000 customers were without power\u00a0\u2014 and Hawaii\u2019s main utility provider said outages in some rural parts of the Big Island could persist for months. After 911 lines failed, Hawaii County Mayor\u00a0Kimo Alameda said Monday that those who need to reach emergency services should call the fire administration number.<\/p>\n
At least six bridges were destroyed or damaged in the Big Island\u2019s southern\u00a0Kau District, Alameda said Sunday. More than 100 homes were also damaged in the region. The community of Pahala, which hosts the region\u2019s community hospital, was inaccessible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn the\u00a0Kau area, it\u2019s devastation,\u201d Alameda said.<\/p>\n
Kau Hospital spokesperson Elena\u00a0Cabatu said officials had cleared a way to the town Monday morning. Doctors and other staff members have remained inside the hospital since Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank goodness, because we need to deliver fuel supplies, food, medications\u00a0\u2014 everything that is needed to support that hospital,\u201d Cabatu said.<\/p>\n
Communities across the islands began the long road to recovery on Monday as the storm passed. Shops and restaurants were destroyed and families were seeking help after the storm decimated homes.<\/p>\n
Punalu\u2019u Bake Shop, a beloved local bakery, was badly damaged in the storm, with its front door smashed and support columns split.\u00a0The nearby Hana Hou Restaurant<\/a> also sustained storm and water damage. On Maui, towering eucalyptus trees<\/a> smashed on top of\u00a0a decade-old lei store and gathering place.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cThe word that comes to mind is \u2018heartbroken,\u2019\u201d Cabatu\u00a0said. \u201cIt\u2019s mind-blowing the damage that it\u2019s caused.\u201d<\/p>\n Lala was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday and barely missed making landfall. Still, the storm dumped from 20 to more than 40 inches of rain over the weekend on the eastern and southern stretch of the Big Island, according to weather service meteorologist Patrick Blood.<\/p>\n Kevin Brown, the pastor for the\u00a0Naalehu Assembly of God, said he has never seen such devastating damage in the region in the nearly two decades he\u00a0has lived on the Big Island.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYesterday was just horrific to go through the town because it was just mud everywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no power. There\u2019s no water, and and I know the crews are out there doing the best that they can to try to get things up, but it\u2019s just, we\u2019re not sure how long that\u2019s going to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n While rain was heaviest on the eastern slopes of the islands, wind was heaviest on the western slopes, as air accelerated down Hawaii\u2019s massive mountains into populated coastal areas.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Gusts of 50 to 75 mph were observed along the western side of the Big Island, Maui and Oahu. Winds were even stronger in the mountains, including Mauna\u00a0Kea where gusts exceeded 140 mph at times.<\/p>\n