The Office of the Governor of the State of Hawaii (via Public) / NEWS RELEASE: STATE OF HAWAIʻI UPDATE ON HURRICANE LOWELL RESPONSE EFFORTS AND IMPACTS

pubt.io · September 8, 2026

09/08/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/08/2026 21:39

#### NEWS RELEASE: STATE OF HAWAIʻI UPDATE ON HURRICANE LOWELL RESPONSE EFFORTS AND IMPACTS

Posted on Sep 8, 2026 in Latest Department News, Newsroom, Office of the Governor Press Releases

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

KA ʻOIHANA PILI KAUA

HAWAI'I EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

KE'ENA HO'OMALU PŌULIA O HAWAI'I

STATE OF HAWAIʻI UPDATE ON HURRICANE LOWELL

State Departments Continue to Support Residents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 8, 2026

HurricaneLowell-JIC-2026-002

HONOLULU - Hawaiʻi state agencies remain actively engaged in response efforts following Hurricane Lowell and continue to support county emergency response operations statewide, especially on Kauaʻi.

Lowell is moving northward away from the Hawaiian Islands, but lingering tropical moisture will maintain the threat of heavy rainfall and flooding through today and potentially into Wednesday. Although winds are declining, breezy and locally gusty conditions are expected, particularly on Kauaʻi. Dangerous surf and ocean conditions also continue across portions of the state.

Hurricane Lowell caused widespread damage to Kauaʻi's electrical system, leaving more than 36,000 customers (households), or approximately 90% of Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) customers, without power Tuesday morning. Downed trees, utility poles and power lines have been reported across the island. KIUC crews are prioritizing damage assessments. KIUC customers without power should be prepared for extended outages as crews assess damage and begin restoring service.

As of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, approximately 21,000 customers on Oʻahu were without power, with about 14,400 customers affected on the Leeward side and 6,600 in Windward communities. Crews are assessing storm damage and working to restore service safely, but estimated restoration times are not yet available. On Maui, crews restored power to most of the approximately 2,700 customers in the Waiehu area who lost service early Tuesday morning, with crews continuing to address smaller outages.

"People are really struggling. Keep them in your prayers, send resources and support them as you can," said Governor Josh Green. "We're getting people healthcare. We're going to care for people the best way we can as we build our infrastructure back. There's a lot of damage on Kauaʻi and it's going to take quite some time to get back to normal. The mayors are all working together and supporting one another and we're going to continue doing everything we can to help people recover."

For the latest Kauaʻi County-specific updates and recovery information, visit the County of Kauaʻi's Hurricane Lowell update page or its Facebook page.

Looking further ahead, while Hurricane Lowell continues to move away from the Hawaiian Islands, state emergency management officials are closely monitoring activity in the Eastern Pacific. Forecasters are watching two areas of potential development, including one that is expected to become a tropical depression later this week as it moves generally west-northwest. It is too early to determine whether either system poses a threat to Hawaiʻi. Residents are encouraged to remain prepared and continue monitoring official forecasts as the state remains in the heart of hurricane season (June through November).

The following are the latest updates on response efforts and impacts:

HAWAIʻI NATIONAL GUARD (HING)

As of today, the Hawaiʻi National Guard has 305 personnel positioned to support statewide response and recovery operations.

- O'ahu: 144 personnel are supporting operations, including Joint Staff personnel, aviation crews and liaison officers assigned to the Honolulu Police Department operations center and the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency's State Emergency Operations Center. - Kauaʻi: 77 personnel are on Kauaʻi, along with six High Water Vehicle Teams (HWVT), liaison officers at the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, a 400-gallon water trailer and a wrecker. The Governor authorized an additional 25 soldiers to support Task Force Kauaʻi yesterday.

- HING has received requests for aerial damage assessments and is coordinating those missions based on response priorities. The Governor and adjutant general have approved the use of aviation assets once priorities are established. - Hawaiʻi Island: 56 National Guard personnel continue to assist Hawaiʻi County with debris clearance and recovery operations following Hurricane Lala. - Maui: 28 personnel and three High Water Vehicle Teams are supporting Maui County. A High Water Vehicle Team assisted Maui emergency medical personnel with transporting four civilians through high water and debris in the Olowalu area of Honoapiʻilani Highway. Guard personnel will also assist the Maui Police Department with traffic control near Olowalu, where water washed over the roadway.

Photos and video of HING supporting storm response efforts are available here.

Highways

Many traffic signals are out across Kauaʻi. Drivers should treat intersections with nonworking signals as all-way stops, come to a complete stop and proceed only when it is safe to do so. For a full list of road closures and conditions, visit hidot.hawaii.gov/weather-traffic.

Kauaʻi

- Route 50 (Kaumualiʻi Highway) remains closed between Kala Road and Akialoa Road while crews remove remaining sand from the roadway. - Route 50 is clear between Puhi and Knudsen Gap, but traffic is limited to one lane near a leaning utility pole at Knudsen Gap. - A utility pole is blocking the eastbound lanes of Route 50 in front of Wong's in Hanapēpē. The traffic signal at Moi Road is also out. - Utility poles are leaning along Route 56, but traffic can pass. Crews continue clearing downed trees from multiple locations along the route. - Route 550 (Waimea Canyon Drive) is blocked by a downed tree. - Route 560 (Kūhiō Highway) is closed in both directions near Hanalei because of downed utility poles, trees and elevated stream levels. The route is also closed at Waikoko Point because of a landslide. - Route 570 (Ahukini Road) is closed between Palai and Kapule because of a downed utility pole.

Route 580 (Kuamoʻo Road) is closed at mileposts 2.2 and 2.8 because of downed trees and utility lines. Maui County

- Both lanes of Route 30 (Honoapiʻilani Highway) are open in both directions between the Lone Pine and ʻUkumehame area and Māʻalaea. - Route 310 (North Kīhei Road) is closed between Honoapiʻilani Highway and South Kīhei Road because of high surf.

Oʻahu

- Pali Lookout Road is closed in both directions and the Pali Lookout remains closed until further notice. - Route 93 (Farrington Highway) remains closed in Nānākuli and Mākaḥa. The Māʻili section is open; alternate routes through Pāʻakea Road and Jade Street are available.

Airports

- Līhuʻe Airport opened at 11:15 a.m. Operations may remain limited because of staffing. Travelers should confirm flight information directly with their airlines before leaving for the airport and anticipate longer-than-normal check-in processes.

- All other airports are operating normally.

Harbors

- On Kauaʻi, Port Allen and Nāwiliwili harbors are closed to commercial traffic under U.S. Coast Guard Heavy Weather Port Condition Zulu. - On Lāna'i, Kaumālapaʻu Harbor is currently inoperable following damage caused by Hurricane Lowell, state officials announced Tuesday morning. Assessments are underway and officials will provide an estimated restoration schedule and determine whether alternate delivery plans are needed.

- On Oʻahu, Honolulu Harbor and Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor are closed to incoming traffic unless specifically ap

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Hawaii News

September 2026