Thousands without power after Tropical Storm Lala uproots trees in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Thousands were without power Monday after Tropical Storm Lala uprooted trees from downtown Honolulu to the Big Island, where intense flash-flooding isolated already-remote communities.

Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday after lashing the state without making landfall . Intense rainfall and flooding caused a muddy mess as the storm moved past Hawaii’s main islands.

The storm was projected to continue moving westward and was forecast to become a hurricane again at sea and far from land by Wednesday.

Public schools statewide, some private schools and state offices were closed Monday. Cleanup efforts began in earnest with crews repairing bridges. Drivers were urged to use alternate routes.

The Hawaiian Electric utility said about 117,300 customers were without power as of Monday morning after the passing storm’s strong winds took down trees, utility poles and transmission towers. The Big Island’s power transmission system suffered “extensive damage,” the utility said.

The 911 emergency service number was temporarily out of service on the Big Island because hurricane impacts were affecting radio and telephone communications, the Hawaii Police Department said, but was back up by the afternoon with a few disruptions.

Officials advised people to stay out of the ocean anywhere water appears brown or murky.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect for Hawaii on Monday, but life-threatening surf and rip current conditions remained, according to the National Hurricane Center. Saturation caused by heavy rainfall could still cause some landslides, but winds were no longer a threat, National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Blood said.

“There's no real looming hazards that we're facing now,” he said. “Lala's off to the west.”

No one is believed to have died when some 100 homes were swept from their foundations and washed away on the Big Island, authorities said.

Laupahoehoe, on the northeast coast of the Big Island, saw the heaviest recorded rainfall at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters). The highest winds were atop the towering Mauna Kea volcano, where gusts hit 140 mph (225 kph). At the lower elevations, residents all across the island chain experienced tropical storm force winds of 30 to 40 mph (48 to 64 kph) with gusts up to 60 mph (97 kph), Blood said.

Federal officials have pledged recovery help. U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said Monday he spoke with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about federal support and urged him to approve a forthcoming request for emergency funding to help clear debris and repair damaged roads and highways.