STATE OF HAWAIʻI UPDATE ON TROPICAL STORM LALA

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           

August 17, 2026

 

Lala-JIC-2026-005

HONOLULU — Governor Josh Green today joined Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda and Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan for an aerial and ground assessment of storm damage across Kaʻū, one of the areas hardest hit by Tropical Storm Lala.

During the visit, Governor Green reconnected with several former patients he cared for while practicing medicine in the community, underscoring his longstanding connection to the area.

At a joint news conference on Hawaiʻi Island with Mayor Alameda and state and county officials, Governor Green announced the following operating status for Tuesday, August 18:

HAWAIʻI ISLAND:

All state and Hawaiʻi County offices will remain closed Tuesday due to the continuing impacts of the storm.

All Hawaiʻi State Department of Education public schools on Hawaiʻi Island will remain closed Tuesday.

All courts and Judiciary facilities on Hawaiʻi Island will also remain closed Tuesday.

OʻAHU, MAUI COUNTY AND KAUAʻI COUNTY:

State and county offices on Oʻahu, Maui County and Kauaʻi County will reopen Tuesday and resume normal operations.

Public schools on Oʻahu, Maui County and Kauaʻi County are expected to reopen Tuesday, except for any individual campuses that cannot safely reopen because of storm-related conditions.

Courts and Judiciary facilities on Oʻahu, Maui County and Kauaʻi County will reopen Tuesday.

Families, students and employees should check the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education website and social media channels for the latest information on individual school closures or reopening announcements.

“Hawaiʻi island got hit the hardest and its people are dealing with severe impacts to their daily lives,” said Governor Josh Green. “Nāʻālehu School suffered significant damage and looks much like Konawaena did, after the Kona Low storms. Recovery is going to take time and we are here to provide all the support we can to help people.”

The following are the latest updates on response efforts and impacts:

HAWAI‘I STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (HIDOE)

All Hawaiʻi State Department of Education public schools on Hawaiʻi Island will remain closed Tuesday.

Public schools on Oʻahu, Maui County and Kauaʻi County are expected to reopen Tuesday, except for any individual campuses that cannot safely reopen because of storm-related conditions.

Families, students and employees should check the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education website and social media channels for the latest information on individual school closures or reopening announcements.

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI SYSTEM (UH)

All UH campuses and facilities will be open for normal operations tomorrow except for Hawaiʻi Community College and UH Hilo, with the exception of Student Housing Move-In Day for students at UH Hilo.

In addition, the Kō Education Center on Hawaiʻi Island and the Waiʻanae Moku Education Center, both are still experiencing power outages and will also remain closed.

HING deployed more than 240 personnel statewide for life-saving operations, with more activated as needed.

• The HING transported the Governor and TAG to Hawaiʻi Island to conduct an aerial damage assessment flight Monday. Hawaiʻi County Mayor Alameda joined them aboard a Black Hawk helicopter.
• The HING’s 93rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package is supporting the Hawaiʻi Fire Department with search-and-rescue efforts.
• Task Force Hawaiʻi is still supporting Hawaiʻi County and may increase in numbers if needed.
• Task Force Maui and Oʻahu have concluded operations and will be ready to support again if needed.

DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES (DLNR)

• Harbors and Shorelines
  • No reports of boat groundings.
  • DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR) is assisting with a vessel that sank in its slip at Māʻalaea on Maui and one vessel that sank in its slip at Heʻeia Kea Harbor on Oʻahu.
  • DOBOR has staff on scene assessing conditions at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor and will hire a contractor to clear the debris trap.

• Camping and Lodging
  • All camping and lodging in state parks and on state lands remain closed.
  • Refunds will be credited to the accounts of anyone who misses camping nights due to storm closures.

• Forests and Wildlife Lands
  • DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) branches are assessing damage and clearing debris across DLNR lands.
  • Eight DOFAW staff with three brush engines have returned to the Saddle Road fire to resume monitoring and mop up as needed.

• State Parks and Trails
  • DLNR State Parks personnel are assessing conditions, identifying hazards  and working to reopen state parks on all islands. More parks will likely remain closed than reopen Tuesday, because damage and power outages are affecting water and sewer systems.

Parks that will open tomorrow:

Kauaʻi:

• Hāʻena State Park: Day use only, including day hike to Hanakāpīʻai (Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park)

• Kōkeʻe State ParkWaimea Canyon State Park

• Waimea Canyon State ParkKōkeʻe State ParkWaimea Canyon State ParkWaimea Canyon State Park

 

Oʻahu:

• Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline

• ʻAiea Bay State Recreation Area

• Mākua section of Kaʻena Point State Park

• Mālaekahana State Recreation Area

• Ahupuaʻa O Kahana State ParkHeʻeia State Park

• Heʻeia State Park

 

Maui:

Hawaiʻi Island:

 

DEPARTMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT (DLE)

• DLE continues to support Hawaiʻi County with traffic control; it is also supporting the Honolulu Police Department with traffic control in Waikīkī due to debris and power outages.
• DLE units are also supporting the return of airports and harbors to steady-state operations.

 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH)

DOH is assisting two rural public water systems in the Kaʻū district of Hawaiʻi Island with precautionary boil-water advisories following damage from Hurricane Lala. The advisories apply to customers of Punaluʻu Water and Sanitation, LLC, and Wood Valley Water and Farm Co-op Public Water System.

• Both water systems sustained heavy damage and lost pressure in their distribution lines. While alternative water sources are available, the precautionary advisories address the possibility that water in the distribution systems may have been compromised by floodwater.
• Customers of the two affected systems should not drink or use tap water without boiling it first. Bring all water from faucets to a boil, let it boil for three minutes, then let it cool before using it, or use bottled water.
• Boiled water, bottled water or water from another safe source should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, washing hands, making baby formula and preparing food until further notice.
• The advisories are precautionary while water system testing is completed. DOH is assisting with public notification and supporting Punaluʻu Water and Sanitation, LLC, in requesting bulk supplies of potable water for its customers.
• A statewide Brown Water Advisory remains in effect because of heavy rainfall and storm runoff. Residents should stay out of brown or discolored coastal waters and streams.
• Several sewage spills have occurred on Oʻahu following heavy rain and power loss, including approximately 750,000 gallons near Sandy Beach and more than 30,000 gallons near Atkinson Drive and Ala Moana Beach Park/Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor. The reported spills have stopped, but affected areas may remain contaminated and should be avoided until officials determine they are safe.
• A fuel spill at Māʻalaea Harbor on Maui involved approximately 500 gallons of diesel. The vessel has been boomed and responders are coordinating containment efforts.
• DOH environmental health staff remain prepared to conduct water and environmental sampling as conditions allow.
• The DOH State Laboratory and Waimano Ridge campus remain without commercial power. The state laboratory is operating on backup generators.
• The Disease Surveillance team is beginning queries of hospital visits to assess health hazards, including injuries and infectious diseases.
• DOH advises the public to avoid wading or swimming in stormwater runoff or floodwaters and drinking from freshwater streams or ponds to prevent infections such as leptospirosis, a bacterial infection.

HAWAIʻI STATE ENERGY OFFICE

 

• As of 9 a.m., approximately 117,000 electric utility customers remain without power statewide: Hawaiʻi Island, 39,400; Oʻahu, 71,600; Maui, 6,300; and Kauaʻi, 302.
• HECO and KIUC have made progress restoring power as damage assessments and transmission system repairs continue and weather conditions improve, allowing crews to safely conduct restoration work.
• Emergency Support Function 12 (Energy), or ESF-12, has been available to help facilitate prioritized power restoration and refueling at sites operating on backup power. No major fuel supply issues or shortages exist currently. With ports now open, there are no concerns about delayed fuel deliveries.
• ESF-12 is also responding to requests for information related to outage data to support emergency replacement benefits for SNAP recipients affected by power outages.

 

HAWAI‘I DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (HDOT)

• Crews continue to work around the clock to address Lala’s impact to state roadways caused by flooding, landslides, fallen trees, downed utility lines and blown debris.
• HDOT crews and partners continue to work throughout the storm to reopen roads statewide. Road closure notices and updates will be provided on hidot.hawaii.gov/weather-traffic/ and HDOT’s social media accounts.

Hawaiʻi Island

•  HDOT is prioritizing Māmalahoa Highway (Route 11) at Pāhala Hospital on Hawai‘i Island to restore critical access for Kaʻū residents. Access between Pāhala and Hilo, in the Hilo direction, has been restored for four-wheel drive vehicles for emergency vehicles and essential travel only. As of noon Aug. 17, closures along Route 11 remain in Nā‘ālehū and Waiʻōhinu due to debris and water on the road as follows:

o   Nīnole Stream Bridge at milepost 56.5-57.7

o   Mileposts 57-59

o   Mileposts 65 and 66, Waiʻōhinu to Nāʻālehu School

Maui

• Crater Road (Route 378) remains closed from mile marker 2.5 to Haleakalā National Park as crews work to remove multiple downed trees. Kekaulike Avenue (Route 377) in Kula is closed at milepost 6 due to downed utility lines.

O‘ahu

• Pali Highway (Route 61) reopened to traffic in both directions early Monday, Aug. 17, as landslides and downed trees were cleared. A right lane closure remains in effect on the Kailua-bound Pali Highway through the tunnels and just beyond the second tunnel for landslide mitigation.

Kaua‘i

•  On Kūhiō Highway (Route 560), a single lane is closed at the Wainiha Hairpin Turn as crews work to clear a landslide in the mauka lane.

AIRPORTS AND HARBORS

• All commercial airports and harbors are open as efforts to assess and repair damage where necessary.
• Airlines are returning to their normal flight schedules, but travelers may still experience flight disruptions as airlines work to accommodate those impacted by flight cancellations and delays over the weekend. Passengers should check with their airline about flight status before going to the airport and plan for longer wait times to check in and clear security screening.

HAWAIʻI TOURISM AUTHORITY (HTA)

• HTA continues to communicate that Hawaiʻi welcomes visitors and that travelers scheduled to arrive in the coming weeks should keep their plans. A small number of attractions remain closed because of power outages and storm impacts — and state parks are conducting cleanup efforts. Visitors should confirm flights and activities directly with providers.
• HTA shares updates through an alert banner and dedicated landing page on the GoHawaii website, as well as push and in-app alerts through the GoHawaii app. Visit gohawaii.com/lala or call 1-800-GOHAWAII. The call center will remain open 24 hours a day through Aug. 17. Beginning Aug. 18, the call center will return to its regular hours of midnight to 8 p.m. HST.

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES (DHS)

• DHS continues to coordinate with the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross on shelter operations, working with its partners to address needs as they arise.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS

• Residents are encouraged to know what their insurance policies cover so they can efficiently recover any losses after the storm passes.
• Keep copies of property, flood and auto insurance policies in a waterproof folder or secure digital storage.
• Create a home inventory: photos or videos of furniture, appliances and valuables.
•  Save receipts for high-value items.

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders:

Homeowners, condo and renters’ claims:

• Document damage with clear photos or videos.
• Secure property from further damage; keep receipts for repair materials used
• Contact your insurer or agent to file a claim and follow their claims procedure
• Don’t begin permanent repairs until an adjuster inspects or insurer approves
• Be cautious of contractor scams — never sign your entire claims check over to a contractor

Auto claims:

• Contact your insurer to file;
• If the vehicle is drivable, get repair estimates; if not, follow total-loss procedures with your adjuster.

DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES (DAGS)

• DAGS Office of Enterprise Technology Services division is on 24-hour emergency staffing, monitoring major and critical informational technology infrastructure that serves state government services.
• Building crews readied DAGS base yards across five islands and ensured generators that power DAGS-managed facilities are fully fueled.
• The department’s Public Works Division (PWD) instructed the contractors on all building projects statewide to secure project sites, and ensured all state partners and contractors are on standby.
• On Monday morning, all crews at DAGS-managed facilities removed debris, repaired wind and water damage, including the damaged State Capitol construction barrier and removed any downed tree branches.

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS (DHHL)

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