Tsunami warning downgraded to advisory as Hawaii remains wary, Hurricane Iona, Tropical Storm Keli continue to pose no threat, flights resume at airports, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii residents and visitors evacuate ahead of a tsunami that brought some flooding. Over a million Hawaii residents and visitors spent more than seven hours under threat of a potentially highly destructive tsunami Tuesday that triggered evacuations from low-lying coastal areas statewide. The tsunami warning issued by the National Weather Service around 2:45 p.m.was in response to an 8.8-magnitude earthquake off Russia. Star-Advertiser. Associated Press. Hawaii Public Radio.  Big Island Now. Hawaii News Now. 

TSUNAMI ADVISORY has been extended until noon today with unusual currents and more tsunami waves across the state. Light to moderate trades will strengthen over the next couple of days to moderate to locally strong as a high north of the state builds.  Hawaii News Now. KHON2.

Quiet Beaches, Traffic, Canceled Flights: How Hawaiʻi Prepared For Tsunami. Traffic was gridlocked and sirens blared every hour after a tsunami was generated by a massive earthquake off Russia. Civil Beat.

Hawaiian Airlines flights resume, Alaska Airlines flights resume Wednesday morning after Tsunami Warning. Hawaiian Airlines flights have resumed this evening while Alaska Airlines flights will resume tomorrow morning after a pause from the state’s Tsunami Warning. KITV4.

Hawaii has long history of devastating tsunamis. It had been more than 12 years since a tsunami warning and statewide coastal evacuation has been issued in Hawaii. Star-Advertiser. Civil Beat. 

Hurricane Iona weakening rapidly, Tropical Storm Keli remains steady; no threats to Hawaii. In data valid at 11 p.m. Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Iona was about 690 miles south of Honolulu and was moving to the west at 17 miles per hour. Hawaii News Now.

How projects compete for the state's hundreds of millions pegged for affordable housing. One of the state’s biggest investments over the last decade has been to subsidize affordable housing. Over the next two years alone, the state Legislature has invested $200 million into its Rental Housing Revolving Fund. Hawaii Public Radio.

AI In The Courtroom? Complaints About Misuse By Hawaiʻi Lawyers Growing. Hawaiʻi is seeing an increase in complaints against lawyers accused of improperly using artificial intelligence programs to help produce documents, but the state court system has yet to take decisive action to address the problem. Civil Beat.

Care Home Failures Are Common — And Rarely Tracked Over Time. Officials estimate about 90% of adult residential care homes have issues each year, though most of them are minor. Fines for larger problems are rare. Civil Beat.

UH law, medical schools say new federal loan caps will worsen the affordability gap. Students pursuing professional paths, like those in law or medical schools, are limited to $50,000 a year in loans, with a lifetime limit of $200,000. These limits go into effect July 1, 2026, under President Trump's budget bill signed into law earlier this month. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Waikiki hotels evacuate guests to higher floors during tsunami warning. As threat assessments touched off warning sirens across Waikiki, hotels began moving guests mostly to higher floors — a standard protocol known as vertical evacuation. Star-Advertiser.

Warning snarled Oahu traffic as people fled inundation zones. The evacuations ordered in advance of Tuesday’s tsunami snarled traffic on freeways and surface streets on Oahu for hours as people fled the inundation zones. No major accidents or injuries were reported as people followed orders and inched their way to safe areas of the island. Star-Advertiser.

Tsunami waves cover boat ramp; leave debris, damage in East Oahu. High waters pushed over a parking stall curb and left debris in the Maunalua Bay parking lot. Small, tsunami-powered waves left minor damages in the parking lot of Maunalua Bay in East Oahu on Tuesday. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaiian Airlines’ Honolulu leaders named. Alaska Air Group on Tuesday announced the core Hawaiian Airlines leadership team that will oversee the combined operations in Honolulu, the company’s second-largest hub, once the carriers obtain a single-use operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration this fall. Star-Advertiser.

Judge Stops Trial In Police Shooting Lawsuit Before It Goes To Jury. A lawsuit filed by the widow of Lindani Myeni, who was shot and killed by Honolulu police in 2021, was dismissed Tuesday by a Honolulu judge who said there was no evidence police had violated Myeni’s constitutional rights.  Civil Beat.

Hawaii Island

Evacuation orders canceled after tsunami warning downgraded to advisory.  Update at 11:34 p.m. July 29, 2025: Hawaiʻi County canceled evacuation orders for coastal areas after officials assessed areas in tsunami inundation zones. It follows the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center’s downgrading of the tsunami warning, which had been in effect for most of the day for the Hawaiian Islands, to a tsunami advisory. Big Island Now. Big Island Video News.

High court bars Sulla, Zamber from law practice. Two Hilo attorneys recently convicted by a federal jury in Honolulu for an affordable housing credits scam have been barred from practicing law in Hawaii. Tribune-Herald.

New Hawaiʻi County initiative offers homeowners HILP with repairs, upgrades. Hawai‘i County’s Office of Housing and Community Development has a new program that offers Big Island homeowners HILP — an extra level of help — with essential improvements to their homes. Big Island Now.

Maui

Hawaiʻi downgraded to Tsunami ADVISORY following 8.8 Russia quake; 15 foot drop in water levels reported at Kahului Harbor.  There was a 15-foot water drop reported at Kahului Harbor as water receded and exposed the pier on Tuesday evening. Kahului also had the highest amplitude wave values in Hawaiʻi of 5.7 feet, which is the height of the wave, relative to normal sea level.  Maui Now.

Tsunami evacuation orders lifted for Maui; county bus routes to start late Wednesday. The Maui Emergency Management Agency lifted evacuation orders shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday, giving residents who had evacuated low-lying areas for a tsunami warning a chance to return to their homes. Maui News.

JABSOM begins new school year with reaccreditation, housing on Maui. At the John A. Burns School of Medicine, the opening of a new home on Maui this past weekend will help with the goal to boost health care on the neighbor islands. Hawaii Public Radio.

Kauai

Tsunami warning downgraded to advisory. Update at 4 a.m. July 30, 2025: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has continued the Tsunami Advisory for Kaua‘i with sea level oscillations across the state of Hawaiʻi still at advisory levels. Kauai Now.

Kīlauea community to look at site layouts in next town expansion project meeting. The community is collaborating with the Kauaʻi County Housing Agency to develop a master plan for the Kīlauea Town Expansion. Kauai Now.

Division of Motor Vehicles to close all offices next Wednesday. The Division of Motor Vehicles will close both the main Līhuʻe office and the newly opened Kapaʻa satellite office next Wednesday, Aug. 6, for staff training. Kauai Now.