Hurricane Lala Leaves Hawaii Island Communities Facing Lengthy Recovery

LOS ANGELES, Aug 20 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- About 17,000 people on Hawaii Island remained without power as of Wednesday morning, while residents in parts of the southern Kau district were still struggling with roads covered by mud, boulders and fallen trees, days after Hurricane Lala battered the United States (US) island state in the Pacific Ocean, reported Xinhua.

Utility company Hawaiian Electric said in an update that its crews made strong overnight progress repairing damaged infrastructure and restoring power to 99 per cent of affected customers on Oahu, 98 per cent on Maui, and 75 per cent on Hawaii Island.

The company expects to restore power to most remaining customers on Oahu and Maui by Wednesday, but said repairs in some heavily damaged areas could take at least two weeks.

In Kau, several feet of mud, fallen trees and debris remained on roads and bridges on Wednesday, Big Island Now reported. Contractors were using excavators, loaders and dump trucks to clear mud, boulders and branches, while access remained difficult in some areas.

A section of Mamalahoa Highway in Pahala was washed out during the storm, leaving part of the roadway destroyed, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

Naalehu was isolated after sections of the highway were blocked, although the department said on Tuesday that no communities on Hawaii Island remained isolated.

Hawaii County said the storm produced a record number of reported power outages and road closures across the island.

Fire crews and the Hawaii National Guard conducted search-and-rescue operations Sunday in Naalehu, Waiohinu and Pahala, checking neighbourhoods heavily affected by flooding.

Hawaii police said one death appeared to be related to Lala, while another may have been storm-related.

Lala strengthened into a Category One hurricane on Saturday before weakening into a tropical storm as it passed south of Hawaii Island, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Centre.

Recovery work continued as another potential tropical system developed southeast of Hawaii, with forecasters saying its future track remained uncertain.

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA