By Shariq Khan and Michelle Conlin
Aug 16 (Reuters) – More than 200,000 utility customers were without power across Hawaii at midday on Sunday after Hurricane Lala brushed the Big Island before being downgraded to a tropical storm.
About 219,000 customers across Hawaii were without power as of 12:05 p.m. HST (2205 GMT), according to poweroutageus.com. Outages in Oahu, the most populated island, had decreased from over 220,000 to around 130,000 as of Sunday morning, state officials said during a press conference.
State officials received reports of at least 100 homes damaged, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Sunday.
Lala was moving west-northwest at almost 16 mph (26 kph) with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph (105 kph) as of 11:00 a.m. HST (2100 GMT), just slightly below the hurricane threshold of 73 mph (117 kph), according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Maui, Oahu and Kauai counties, according to the advisory.
Hawaiian Electric had warned customers on Saturday evening that repair efforts were being hampered as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and rain flooded roadways.
Lala had battered Hawaii’s southern areas with flash floods “like we’ve never seen,” a state official said.
State officials also urged residents to stay indoors after at least one person was reported dead in a car-related accident.
“It’s not a day to go to the beach,” one official said during a press conference on Sunday morning.
Video released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showed flood waters overtaking roads. Two homes were swept away, according to the National Weather Service.
About 117 people were in shelters as of Sunday morning, officials said.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation said that all airports have been reopened, but state officials advised travelers to check with their airlines for updates.
(Reporting by Shariq Khan and Michelle Conlin in New York; Editing by Sergio Non, Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Porter)
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