Hurricane Lowell left Andrew Davis Henry searching for ice to keep his insulin cold on Kauai as the island lost power and roads filled with debris early Tuesday. He said he had no cell service or power while the storm pelted Hawaii's western islands with damaging winds and heavy rain.
About 42,000 customers were without power across all of Hawaii as of 1:30 p.m. local time Tuesday, and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative said nearly all of its members had lost electricity. On Kauai, Hanalei had recorded 17.76 inches of rain, a level that matched the worst immediate impact of the storm in the hardest-hit areas.
Elton Ushio on Kauai roads
Elton Ushio, the administrator of the local emergency management agency, said officials wanted residents to stay off the roads while damage assessments were beginning. He said, "As the light comes up and the extent of the damage from Hurricane Lowell comes into focus, we want to ensure that no additional emergency situations arise unnecessarily," and the request followed boulders and storm debris blocking many roads in Kauai.
The center of the storm had passed west of the islands early Tuesday and was moving away, but flooding and mudslides were expected to continue through the day. Hurricane warnings for Kauai and Niihau were no longer in place by Tuesday morning local time, and the tropical storm warning for Oahu was lifted, even as sustained winds on Kauai measured just above 50 mph at Lihue Airport and some gusts reached 80 mph.
Andrew Davis Henry on Kauai
Andrew Davis Henry said, "I need that to live, so if I don't have that, it's going to be a bad day for me," while looking for ice to keep his insulin cold. He said the lack of power and cell service made the outage immediate, not abstract, for residents trying to manage medication and basic communication after the storm.
Kauai has 73,000 residents, and Niihau has fewer than 100 permanent residents, while Oahu has close to 1 million residents. That spread shows why the outages and blocked roads on Kauai matter beyond one island: crews have to clear access routes and restore service while assessments continue and flood and mudslide risks remain through the day.
PowerOutage.us and Kauai County
Late Tuesday morning local time, Lowell had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane by the 74 mph threshold, and it was centered about 230 miles northwest of Lihue, Hawaii, while moving north at 15 mph. PowerOutage.us tracked the outage total as the scope of restoration work became clearer across Hawaii and Kauai County.
Dave Reed, a tourist visiting Kauai for a wedding, said, "It was actually pretty scary," adding, "I always said I want to ride out a hurricane. I never want to do it again." After the storm's center moved away, the hardest work shifted to getting roads open, restoring electricity and keeping residents out of flooded or debris-blocked areas until the risks eased.
