Hurricane Lala strengthens as Hawaii faces first potential Big Island hit in 155 years

Hawaii residents are scrambling to stock up on food and water, fill their gas tanks and fortify their homes and businesses as Hurricane Lala closes in on the islands.

Lala has strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane and was about 80 miles southeast of South Point in Hawaii County in the latest update, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. The storm is moving west toward the Big Island.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen urged residents to prepare while they still had time, saying crews across Maui, Molokai and Lanai were also scrambling to get ready.

“Right now we are ready throughout the county: Maui, Molokai, Lanai. We have our personnel ready for working overtime, people you know standby crews, testing all of our generators and just making sure before that any storm comes that we’re ready, so we’re preparing right now,” Bissen told Hawaii News Now.

In flood-prone Kihei, Maui, resident Jon Corbett said his first thought was a notorious stretch of road that has flooded in the past.

“First thing I thought of was the big Kihei road flood in front of Fred’s. They just fixed the road a couple days ago and reopened it. So I’m hoping that handles the storm,” Corbett told News Now.

Across Maui, residents were tying down belongings while businesses boarded up entrances and stacked sandbags, Hawaii News Now reported.

Shoppers descended on Costco locations in Central Maui and Kahului for food, water and other supplies, while others lined up to fill their tanks.

On Maui’s west side, businesses including Honu Oceanside on Front Street in Lahaina installed flood barriers to protect customers and employees.

In Captain Cook on the Big Island, Shaheer Faltas and his father-in-law, Joe Brosnan, filled sandbags Friday ahead of the storm’s arrival, according to the Associated Press. Residents in Kailua-Kona were doing the same.

The storm could become Hawaii’s first hurricane to directly strike the islands in 155 years.

Gov. Josh Green called Lala “a serious storm” and warned residents that the system was intensifying, urging them to stay safe and exercise caution on the roads.

The Big Island has declared a state of emergency as Lala closes in, with hurricane conditions possible Saturday.

Lala is also bringing a major flooding threat. The Big Island could receive 10 to 20 inches of rain, with locally higher totals of up to 25 inches possible. Eastern Maui could see 8 to 12 inches, while other parts of Maui and the rest of the island chain could receive several inches.

The Big Island is under a hurricane warning, while tropical storm warnings are in effect for Maui County — including Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe — as well as Oahu and Kauai County.

After passing the Big Island, Lala is forecast to turn more westward Sunday, with its center remaining south of the other main Hawaiian Islands. Some weakening is expected after the storm interacts with the Big Island, though forecasters are continuing to closely monitor the system.

Those in areas under a Hurricane or Tropical Storm Warning should have preparations complete and be ready to shelter in a safe location.