Several homes on Hawaii’s Big Island destroyed by mudslide triggered by former Hurricane Lala
Hawaii Big Island Mudslide: Homes Destroyed by Storm Lala
Wertynews.com – Several homes on Hawaii's Big Island were obliterated when a massive mudslide tore through the small community of Waiohinu following a weekend of extreme rainfall linked to former Hurricane Lala. As the storm system drifted westward and away from the Hawaiian archipelago on Monday, residents at the southern tip of the island faced the full scope of the destruction left behind. Roughly a dozen residences were swept away, leaving families displaced and entire neighborhoods cut off from emergency services and basic supplies.
Isolation and Loss in Waiohinu
The mudslide struck with terrifying force. Alice Birnbaum, a local resident, described the moment the debris arrived:
"The boulders that were coming down were so heavy they were like shaking the ground."
Birnbaum told CBS News that the reporting crew arrived as the first outsiders to reach the community since the storm passed. She outlined the urgent shortages facing her neighbors—clean water, propane, gasoline, and food were all in critical short supply, and no relief convoy had yet made it through.
With bridges swept from the island and multiple communities severed from the wider area, emergency responders could not reach Waiohinu by road. Residents were left to depend on one another for survival. One local told CBS News that a household including a small child barely escaped before their dwelling was carried away by the floodwater. Several homes on Hawaii's Big Island in that immediate area were either destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, compounding the crisis for families already struggling to find shelter and safe drinking water.
A Fatal Toll in Naalehu
In the nearby town of Naalehu, authorities confirmed the death of a 90-year-old woman who had been reported missing during the storm. Governor Josh Green and Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda made the announcement at a joint press briefing. Hawaii County Police Chief Reed Mahuna stated that foul play was not being suspected. The confirmation brought the verified death toll from the storm's passage to at least one, though officials cautioned that search operations continued in areas where road access remained limited and debris still blocked key routes.
Storm Context and Rainfall Extremes
Hawaii had not experienced a direct hurricane landfall since Iniki struck in 1992. Over the weekend, however, the eye of then-Category 1 Hurricane Lala tracked just 30 miles offshore from the Big Island's coastline. The passage produced sustained wind gusts exceeding 80 mph and delivered torrential precipitation across the island chain. Certain locations on the Big Island recorded more than three feet of rain in a short period. On Maui, the Kapalua area accumulated 48 inches over the weekend, triggering flash flooding, road closures, and additional structural damage well beyond the Big Island itself.
Recovery Status and Storm Trajectory
As of Monday evening local time, approximately 71,000 customers across the Hawaiian Islands remained without electricity, per PowerOutage.com data. State and Hawaii County government offices, along with public schools on Hawaii Island and all courts and judiciary facilities, were scheduled to stay shut through Tuesday. By contrast, offices, courts, and most public schools in Oahu, Maui, and Kauai counties were set to resume normal operations the following morning.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Lala had weakened to tropical-storm status but was rebuilding intensity. Maximum sustained winds stood at 70 mph as of Monday night—slightly above earlier readings and just four mph below the hurricane threshold. The agency projected the system would regain hurricane strength over open Pacific waters by Tuesday, though it was expected to remain far enough from the islands to avoid another direct impact.
FAQ: Practical Information for Residents and Visitors
How many homes were destroyed in the Waiohinu mudslide? Approximately a dozen residences were obliterated when the slide tore through the neighborhood at the southern tip of the island. Additional structures in surrounding areas were damaged or rendered uninhabitable, and several families were displaced with no immediate access to replacement housing.
Is the storm still a threat to Hawaii? As of the latest National Hurricane Center advisory, Lala had weakened to tropical-storm strength but was rebuilding. The system was tracking westward over open Pacific waters and was not expected to make another direct landfall on the Hawaiian Islands. Residents should still monitor official channels for updated advisories.
When will utilities and government services resume? Hawaii County offices, schools, and courts remained closed through Tuesday. Oahu, Maui, and Kauai counties were scheduled to reopen. Power restoration for the roughly 71,000 affected customers was expected to proceed over the following days, depending on road access, crew availability, and the condition of damaged transmission lines.