Hurricane Lowell Leaves 30,000 Kauai Customers Without Power as 21 Inches of Rain Devastate Island
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 9
Hurricane Lowell Leaves 30,000 Kauai Customers Without Power as 21 Inches of Rain Devastate Island
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Sep 9
Summary
Around 80% of Kauai County homes and businesses — more than 30,000 customers — remained without power Wednesday as crews fanned out to assess islandwide storm damage.
Lowell passed just west of Niihau and Kauai as a Category 2 hurricane, bringing tropical-storm-force winds, storm surge and flash flooding, with preliminary rainfall totals reaching 21 inches on Kauai.
Poipu and Waimea showed severe destruction, including a home ripped off its foundation and split in two, cars tossed across a hotel parking lot, downed power lines and damaged roads.
Oahu also took a hit, with wind gusts above 50 mph, nearly 10 inches of rain in some areas and one death that Governor Josh Green said has not yet been confirmed as storm-related.
Lowell has weakened to a tropical storm and is moving away, but lingering moisture could bring more rain across Hawaii and slow cleanup after a string of damaging storms in recent months.