Multiple sources report that Hurricane Lala’s aftermath continues to strain Hawaii communities, with Governor Josh Green formally requesting a presidential emergency declaration and rural Maui residents remaining isolated due to storm damage. The storm caused widespread infrastructure damage across several counties, compounding challenges for communities already managing prior disaster recovery.
- Governor Josh Green submitted a request to the White House on Saturday for a presidential emergency declaration covering Maui County, Hawaii County, and the City and County of Honolulu.
- Hurricane Lala brought an estimated 20–40 inches of rain to some areas, triggering flooding, landslides, power outages, and damage to homes, roads, and bridges.
- At the storm’s peak, approximately 200,000 customers across Maui, Hawaii Island, and Oahu lost power.
- The federal assistance request includes emergency generators, federal personnel and equipment, temporary power systems, and support for critical facilities.
- Six residents in Lower Nāhiku, a remote East Maui community along the Road to Hana, remain stranded after Hurricane Lala destroyed the only bridge connecting them to the rest of the island. (Civil Beat)
- Maui Emergency Management Agency officials delivered a generator, fuel cans, and supplies to the isolated Nāhiku neighborhood via Maui Police Department helicopter. (Civil Beat)
- A longstanding ownership dispute over the Nāhiku bridge is complicating efforts to find a permanent rebuild solution. (Civil Beat)
- The collapsed bridge is one of dozens of East Maui bridges identified in recent federal safety inspections as structurally deficient or in need of repair. (Civil Beat)
- Green noted that Hawaii is simultaneously continuing recovery from Kona low storms and a magnitude-6.0 earthquake that struck the Kona region in May. (Maui News)
- The federal request also includes assistance for the recovery and reinterment of human remains dislodged by a slope failure at Naalehu Cemetery on Hawaii Island. (Maui News)
Sources
- Civil Beat: Rural Maui Residents Still Isolated After Lala Washed Away Bridge
- Maui News: Green seeks federal emergency declaration following Lala
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