Hawaii Island loses 911 service in Hurricane Lala’s wake

As hard-hit Hawaii Island continues to recover from Hurricane Lala, the island has lost use of its 911 number. The Hawaii Police Department announced the outage Monday morning, providing alternate numbers for residents needing police, fire or ambulance service.

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Lala brought torrential rain and strong winds to Hawaii over the weekend, leaving power outages, damaged roads and more in its wake. More than 178,000 customers are without power, Hawaiian Electric said in its latest update, Sunday, Aug. 16.

“Hawaiian electric crews are working through the night on Hawaii Island, Oahu and Maui County as they continue damage assessments and focus on repairs that can be done safely in severe weather conditions,” the update said. “… Customers on Hawaii Island are being asked to prepare for extended outages in the hardest hit rural areas of the island.”

The worst hit areas are on the south side of Hawaii Island, according to the National Weather Service, where Hurricane Lala nearly made landfall. Although the eye didn’t cross the island, the hurricane’s rain bands poured over the area, with rainfall totals reaching 20 to 30 inches.

The heavy rain caused flash flooding and infrastructure damage in the region of Kau, which includes the communities of Pahala, Waiohinu and Naalehu. 

During an aerial survey Sunday, Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said he counted six bridges that were either destroyed or nearly destroyed. The town of Pahala was cut off in both directions, with county and state crews working to restore access, particularly to Kau Hospital.

“That’s one of our top priorities. I asked for it to be completed as soon as possible,” the mayor said.

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Most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains closed and without power, though Crater Rim Drive West from the park entrance to Uekahuna reopened with limited services. Downed trees and other hazards have kept most trails, campgrounds and backcountry areas closed. Volcano Art Center Gallery, Volcano House and Kilauea Military Camp are also closed to the public but open to registered guests.

The impacts on the Kahuku Unit of the national park, which lies in the heavily impacted region of Kau, are “expected to be substantial,” the park said in a news release, but staff have not been able to assess the area yet.

Editor’s note: SFGATE recognizes the importance of diacritical marks in the Hawaiian language. We are unable to use them due to the limitations of our publishing platform.

This news story has been updated.