1 dead, homes swept away as Hurricane Lala brings heavy rain to Hawaii’s Big Island

Tropical Storm Lala was already whipping and soaking Hawaii’s Big Island early Saturday, and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches land.

One person was killed in a storm-related car crash as Hurricane Lala brought fierce winds and pouring rain to Hawaii’s Big Island on Saturday.

Footage on social media showed floodwaters rising, overtaking roadways and bridges as Lala dumped rain on Hawaii’s Big Island. Howling winds whipped the tops of palm trees and waterways swelled with fast-moving runoff from relentless rain that blew nearly sideways.

According to the National Weather Service’s Honolulu office, two homes were swept away due to intense rainfall over Naalehu, with flash flooding ongoing.

Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said in an Instagram post that “several occupied homes may have been swept off their foundations” amid flash flooding in the Alihu and Waiheno areas, with a search and rescue mission underway.

More than 125,000 utility customers in the state, mostly on the Big Island, were without electricity, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.