‘Total shock’: Lala leaves Hawaii communities buried in mud, communication cut off
New images reveal homes, roads and a beloved Big Island bakery overwhelmed by mud and debris as crews reach communities isolated by Hurricane Lala’s catastrophic flooding.
Storm chaser Aaron Rigsby reported from Na’alehu, Hawaii, where Hurricane Lala triggered flash flooding that swept buildings from foundations, buried cars in mud and rocks and cut communications.
As residents and first responders of Hawaii reach some of the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Lala, new images are revealing the extent of the destruction left by catastrophic flooding and debris flows over the weekend.
AccuWeather Storm Chaser Aaron Rigsby reported from Naalehu in the Kau District on the southern end of Hawaii Island, where floodwaters carried massive boulders and debris through the community and swept structures from their foundations.
“Giant boulders, buildings completely destroyed, moved from their foundations as this massive wall of water came crashing down from the higher elevations surrounding this small little community, leaving residents and visitors in total shock,” Rigsby said.
A man watches debris flow along Ka'alaiki Road after Hurricane Lala in Naalehu, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. The Category 1 hurricane brought heavy rain and strong winds to the island of Hawaii before moving away without making landfall, causing extensive damage to towns along the island's southern end. (Photo by Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Communication remained difficult in the area after flooding knocked down power poles and left mud several feet deep.
“Communications have been completely cut off, and some folks, now that they have some of the roads clear, are having to drive upwards of 20 miles to get cell service, to communicate with their loved ones and let them know that they're OK.”
Flooding and debris flows washed out roads and damaged bridges across Kau, isolating some communities. Gov. Josh Green previously said more than 100 homes on Hawaii Island were swept away during Lala.
Officials on Monday confirmed that a 90-year-old woman who had been reported missing in Naalehu was found dead. Her death is the first fatality officials have directly attributed to the storm. A man was killed in a separate head-on crash Saturday in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates, but police said it remains unknown whether Lala played a role in the collision.
Rainfall reached staggering levels on Hawaii Island. Laupahoehoe recorded 43.54 inches, while a wind gust of 140 mph was measured atop Mauna Kea, according to the National Weather Service. At lower elevations, tropical-storm-force winds and stronger gusts knocked down trees, utility poles and transmission infrastructure across the islands.
South Hawaii Island faces weeks without power
The storm also triggered widespread power outages. Hawaiian Electric reported nearly 104,000 customers remained without electricity Monday afternoon as crews worked to repair extensive damage to the power system, particularly on Hawaii Island. Poweroutage.us shows less than 20,000 without power by Wednesday.
Hawaiian Electric said it expects 95% of all customers to be restored by Friday across Hawaii Island, Oahu and Maui. However, those in remote and severely damaged areas of South Hawaii Island could take as long as two weeks.
"Most of the outages are in the Puna area, North and South Kona, North and South Kohala, Hamakua, North and South Hilo, and Kau," the power provider said Tuesday night. "Damage assessments were completed in accessible areas of Puna and Hamakua. More than half of the transmission lines damaged by the storm have been repaired."
Green joined Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda and Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan on Monday for an aerial and ground assessment of damage across Kau, one of the areas hit hardest by Lala. Alameda joined Green and Logan aboard a Hawaii National Guard Black Hawk helicopter for the aerial survey.
An aerial view of mudslides and debris flows near Naalehu, Hawaii after Hurricane Lala taken on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Image credit: Hawaii gov. Josh Green)
The storm damaged or destroyed six bridges in the Kau District and left communities including Naalehu, Waiohinu and Pahala dealing with mud, debris, damaged roads and disrupted communications.
State Rep. Jeanné Kapela told The Associated Press that two cemeteries were washed out and officials cordoned off the areas after ancestral remains were disturbed.
Flooding and mud heavily damaged the Punalu’u Bake Shop in Naalehu on Hawaii’s Big Island on Aug. 16 after Lala struck the area. Reports said floodwaters reached about 4 feet inside the business.
Among the businesses badly damaged was Punaluu Bake Shop, a well-known stop in Naalehu that opened in 1991 and is famous for its Hawaiian sweet bread and malasadas. The bakery’s sweet-bread recipe traces its roots to a resort restaurant in Punaluu in the 1970s.
Video taken Sunday by Irma Duenas Walter showed mud and debris overwhelming the commercial district in Naalehu, with several buildings swamped and damaged, including the bakery.
“This is really devastating and heartbreaking,” Walter said.
Punaluu Bake Shop said in a video that the business suffered “catastrophic damage” and that it will take time to determine how to rebuild. Images from the community showed the bakery inundated by floodwaters, mud and boulders.
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