Damaging winds and heavy rains from Hurricane Lowell pelted Hawaii’s western islands on Tuesday, knocking out power and bringing the threat of flash floods and mudslides. Fierce winds downed trees and caused widespread power outages on the island of Kauai, home to 73,000 residents. The Kauai island utility cooperative reported that nearly all of its members were without power early Tuesday.
Emergency officials asked residents to stay off roads as damage assessments were just beginning. The center of the storm passed west of the islands early Tuesday and was moving away, but tropical storm-force winds extended well beyond, the National Hurricane Center said. On Kauai, sustained winds measured just above 50mph (80km/h) at Lihue airport.
Hurricane warnings for Kauai and the tiny island of Ni’ihau, which has less than 100 permanent residents, were no longer in place by Tuesday morning local time. A tropical storm warning was also lifted for Oahu, the state’s most populated island with close to 1 million residents. But flooding and mudslides will continue to be a risk through the day, said Eric Blake, of the National Hurricane Center.
Some wind gusts reached 80mph, according to the hurricane center. But the force of the sustained winds had decreased by early Tuesday and the storm was expected to weaken in the coming days. Road crews were clearing sand and rocks from a major route along Oahu’s western edge after flood waters topped the highway, north of Honolulu.
The Hawaii governor, Josh Green, closed schools and government offices on the three islands for Tuesday ahead of the storm. Rainfall totals could reach up to 24in (60cm) in some areas on Kauai. Oahu, Maui and the Big Island also could see large amounts of rain.
Last month, Tropical Storm Lala brushed past Hawaii and stirred up landslides, washing away about 100 homes and causing widespread power outages.
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