Hurricane Lala Flash Floods Sweep Away Vehicles and Homes in Hawaii
Tropical Storm Lala battered Hawaii with torrential rainfall and damaging winds after skirting the Big Island as a hurricane on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, triggering severe flash floods that swept away homes, vehicles, and forced widespread road closures, according to the National Hurricane Center and local emergency officials.
The Impact of Former Hurricane Lala Across the Hawaiian Islands
The weather system continued to move west and away from Hawaii early Monday, but left behind a trail of severe infrastructure damage, according to CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan. While at its strongest, Lala pounded the Big Island’s coast with powerful waves, howling winds, and relentless rain.
Rainfall totals reached staggering heights across multiple counties. Five places in Hawaii recorded 35 inches or more of rain, with Kapalua in Maui County inundated by 48 inches, according to storm tracking data. As the system weakened back to a tropical storm, it remained south of the smaller main Hawaiian Islands while maintaining a trajectory toward the open waters of the Pacific, where forecasters projected it could regain hurricane strength by Wednesday.
Emergency Rescuers Navigate Rushing Water and Debris in Naalehu
Flash flooding created life-threatening hazards across the Big Island’s southern districts. Two homes were swept away in Naalehu in the Kau District on Saturday evening, according to CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB. Big Island responders successfully rescued an elderly woman from one of the washed-away structures.
Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda described the rescue conditions on social media, noting that a joint search-and-rescue mission involving Civil Defense, the National Guard, and the Coast Guard was launched after floods swept several occupied homes off their foundations in Na’alehu and Wai’ohinu. “What makes this very challenging is that there’s rushing water, there’s debris and there’s boulders on the road and it’s dark,” Alameda stated.
Honolulu EMS transported more than 200 people to the hospital, and at least three hospitals operated on generator power, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green. Damage to roads and several small bridges made multiple rural locations exceptionally difficult to reach.
Infrastructure Closures and Statewide Power Disruptions
State infrastructure felt the immediate brunt of the storm. All state and county offices, public schools, charter schools, and court offices closed on Monday. More than 116,000 homes and businesses across the state lost power early Monday, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.
Gov. Green reported one person killed in a car accident in the southernmost point of the Big Island on Sunday, though officials noted it remained unclear if the fatality was directly storm-related and listed no confirmed storm-related deaths. “Everyone is safe and healthy,” Green said. “But boy, a lot of work ahead.”
Commercial transit experienced significant disruption. While all airports remained open by Sunday night, Hawaiian Airlines reported 52 cancellations statewide on Sunday, following approximately 190 flight pauses or cancellations on Saturday. The Coast Guard reopened all commercial ports Sunday night to resume vessel traffic and support post-storm recovery efforts.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency deployed about 240 Hawaii National Guard members to assist with emergency response, repeatedly imploring residents to stay indoors and off dangerous roadways.