Hurricane Lala Dumps Heavy Rain on Hawaii
Hurricane Lala neared the southern part of Hawaii‘s Big Island on Saturday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that lashed the state and prompted officials to warn of potentially dangerous flooding. The National Hurricane Center said damaging hurricane-force winds were expected to continue on the Big Island into the overnight hours, with heavy rainfall and large and dangerous waves across portions of the Hawaiian Islands through the weekend.
Residents of Hawaii, particularly those on the Big Island, are bracing for the storm’s impact, with power outages already reported for more than 20,000 customers on Saturday afternoon. Governor Josh Green proclaimed a state of emergency to ensure Hawaii and its counties have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure, and take other measures to prepare. The hurricane is expected to dump 10 to 20 inches of rain on the Big Island, with totals possibly reaching 25 inches.
The storm comes as a powerful El Nino has formed in the central equatorial Pacific Ocean, which tends to promote hurricane activity in the Pacific while suppressing it in the Atlantic. Human-caused climate change can amplify El Nino’s impacts because a warmer ocean and atmosphere increase the availability of energy and moisture for extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy rainfall. Hawaii’s emergency management agency recommended residents clear gutters and drains, move valuables off the ground, seal gaps in doors, and remove tree limbs that threaten their properties.
This is not the first time Hawaii has been hit by a major hurricane, with Hurricane Iniki causing at least six deaths and billions of dollars in damage in 1992. The state was also menaced by Hurricane Fausto last month, before the storm weakened and skirted north of the island chain.
