6 In 10 Lost Power During Lala. It May Take A State Inquiry To Learn Why. HECO has spent millions of dollars to strengthen its electric grid in recent years. Lala still wiped out power for most of the state. Civil Beat.
Green formally requests presidential emergency declaration following Lala. Gov. Josh Green has formally requested the White House for a presidential emergency declaration for Hawaii following Hurricane Lala. The request, which covers the counties of Hawaii, Maui and Honolulu, asks for immediate federal assistance to protect public health and safety, maintain essential services and support communities recovering from Lala as Tropical Storm Moke approaches, according to the governor’s office. Star-Advertiser. Kauai Now.
Before aid arrives, Hawaii’s community networks step up. From the 2018 Kauai floods and Lower Puna eruption on Hawaii Island, to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 Maui wildfires and this year’s run of destructive storms, communities across the islands have repeatedly stepped up to identify needs, mobilize resources and care for vulnerable residents. Star-Advertiser.
Moke weakens to a depression, flood watch remains posted for Hawaii Island. Showers on the northern periphery of Moke will bring wet conditions and a risk of flash flooding on the Big Island, while less rainfall is expected to impact windward sections from Maui to Kauai over the next couple of days. Hawaii News Now.
El Nino-fueled hurricane season just getting started. Hurricane season is in full swing this summer with El Nino expected to be one of the strongest on record — and experts say Hawaii should be ready for up to 13 cyclones in the area through November. Star-Advertiser.
How Storms Can Be A Boon For Invasive Species In Hawaiʻi. Climate-fueled storms like Hurricane Lala may help spread invasive pests, plants and pathogens already on the islands and usher new ones into the state. Experts say Hawaiʻi needs more advance planning. Civil Beat.
UH secures $647.3 million in extramural funding. The University of Hawaii secured $647.3 million in extramural funding in fiscal year 2026, its second-highest total on record, even as changes to federal science funding have disrupted university research nationwide.UH officials say the results reflect the ability of researchers to adapt to shifting federal priorities while maintaining a focus on research with direct impacts on Hawaii communities. Star-Advertiser.
White Kids Sued Kamehameha. Native Hawaiians Can’t Get In Either. Gaining admission to the school — which can be a life-changing opportunity — is a competitive and challenging process for many Native Hawaiian families. Civil Beat.
Commentary: Uh-Oh, Dissing The US Supreme Court Did Not Go Unnoticed. Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Justice Todd Eddins generated national attention last month when he accused the U.S. Supreme Court of, among other things, racism and “white sight.” Civil Beat.
Oahu
Honolulu Liquor Commission picks former FBI agent to lead agency. The Honolulu Liquor Commission has voted to appoint Jason K. White, a veteran federal law enforcement executive with over 20 years of experience, as its next administrator. Star-Advertiser.
Hurricane Lala toppled hundreds of trees across the state. On Oahu alone, the City and County of Honolulu has since the previous weekend received close to 500 calls for tree debris removal around the island. In city parks, people reported more than 120 fallen trees and branches, including two legacy ironwoods near Kapi‘olani Regional Park that were considered exceptional. Star-Advertiser.
Aiea Loop Trail closed for work on Lala-damaged transmission structure. Keaiwa State Recreation Area and the Aiea Loop Trail will be closed until Fridayas Hawaiian Electric Co. crews work to replace a transmission structure damaged by Tropical Storm Lala. Star-Advertiser.
Hurricane strike on Oahu would be catastrophic. A direct hit on Oahu by a tropical storm or hurricane would unleash destruction across Hawaii’s economic center unlike any other event documented in state history. Star-Advertiser.
Hawaii Island
Big Island Is Activating A New Temporary Disaster Program. The county created a new program to respond to disasters and the mayor is now planning to hire a recovery officer to head it. Civil Beat.
Moke weakens to tropical depression but up to 6 more inches of rain forecast through Monday on Big Island. A flood watch remains in effect through Monday for Hawaiʻi Island because areas are still wet and saturated from Hurricane Lala. Big Island Now.
Storm-stricken Naalehu residents find comfort in community as they rebuild. The Kau district was hardest hit when Lala moved slowly past South Point on Aug. 15 as a Category 1 hurricane, dumping over 30 inches of rain in some areas before passing south of the other islands as a powerful tropical storm. Star-Advertiser.
Cultural, forensic experts help in recovery of remains at Naalehu Cemetery. A Hawaii National Guard team working to document the displaced burials has identified 69 sets of human remains in the area. Star-Advertiser.
Peter Boy’s siblings due to receive $3.25M settlement. Chauntelle Acol had just turned 8 and was in the second grade in 1997 when her stepfather treated her and her older brother, Allan, to burritos and Sprite, sat them down on their back porch and told them that “Pepe was going to go live with family to learn Hawaiian stuff.” Star-Advertiser.
Maui
Hotel rezoning amendments would shrink housing inventory envisioned by vacation rental phase-out, critics say. Three amendments proposed by Maui County Council members would add 16 properties—some overlapping between proposals—to a list of apartment-zoned properties used as vacation rentals and slated for rezoning into newly created hotel-zoned districts. The move would further shrink the pool of units that the much-debated Bill 9 would convert to long-term housing, opponents of the resolutions argued. Maui Now.
FEMA to donate Kīlohana modular units to Maui County; plans call for permanent housing. Maui County will take ownership of the 167-unit Kīlohana modular housing project, now serving Lahaina wildfire survivors, in a move that could pave the way for the temporary homes to become permanent housing, County Council members learned Wednesday. Maui Now.
Public invited to help identify Maui conservation priorities. Maui farmers, ranchers, agricultural leaders, forest landowners and conservation organizations are invited to help identify local natural resource concerns and conservation priorities during a meeting Aug. 26 at the University of Hawaii Maui College. Maui News.
Hurricane Lala washed out Nāhiku bridge. Nobody seems to know who’s responsible for rebuilding the ‘lifeline’. After Hurricane Lala’s rains and floodwaters roared through East Maui, all that was left of the aging wooden bridge that served as the “lifeline” for Darrell Richard and five other residents in Lower Nāhiku were the metal guardrails. Maui Now.
Water conservation urged in West Kuiaha, Awalau. The Maui County Department of Water Supply is advising those in the West Kuiaha and Awalau areas to conserve water due to a well that is out of service. Maui News.
Kauai
Community organizations, local media to host Kaua‘i Mayoral Debate Aug. 27. Kaua‘i residents will have an opportunity to hear directly from mayoral candidates Mel Rapozo and Bernard Carvalho Jr. during the island’s first live Kaua‘i Mayoral Debate since the primaries on Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Garden Island.
Kauaʻi County takes step to harden homes against wildfires. If adopted, the revised building codes would reduce the ways a fire can jump from fields to homes. Aloha State Daily.
Lawsuit filed in Napali coast ‘doors-off’ helicopter tour crash. The “doors-off” sightseeing helicopter tour that Patrick Haskell, 59, and Margaret Rimmler, 65, took March 26 along the picturesque Napali Coast on Kauai was supposed to be safe. When the Airborne Aviation helicopter they were flying in crashed into the ocean off Kalalau Beach, the Massachusetts married couple did not die from falling out of the aircraft or the initial impact. Instead, they drowned inside the helicopter because they were unable to escape, according to a lawsuit filed Aug. 5 in Kauai Circuit Court. Star-Advertiser.
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