Hawaii News

Hurricane Lowell continues to shape conditions on Kauaʻi and ripple into state and utility response. Kauaʻi Now reports residents are dealing with long gas lines, empty store shelves and damage from the storm, while separate coverage says phone outages and service disruptions are affecting Kauaʻi Emergency Management and police, and the Salvation Army has been activated to serve refuge areas. Hawaiʻi Community Foundation also deployed $265,000 in support of Kauaʻi County disaster response. On the Big Island, Hawaiian Electric and the Department of Water Supply are continuing recovery efforts after Lowell, with power restoration in the final stages on Hawaiʻi Island as crews prepare to travel to Kauaʻi.

Weather and flooding remain active concerns across the islands. Big Island Now reports a flood advisory for eastern and southeastern portions of Hawaiʻi Island, and a separate road closure on Highway 11 in Kaʻū because of flooding. Kauaʻi Now’s forecast coverage points to continued showers, while Maui Now and Big Island Now both posted local surf and weather forecasts for September 11. Maui Now also reports a flood of local civic and community activity, including a Sept. 17 meeting on a proposed new Pāʻia gym and a Maui Planning Commission vote recommending rezoning for the EC Pāʻia Town Project, though questions remain about the private water source.

Public safety and criminal cases are also in the mix. Maui Now reports a fatal pedestrian collision in Kahului, a missing Kahului man, and a Hawaiʻi couple sentenced to prison in a nationwide tax refund fraud conspiracy. On Hawaiʻi Island, Big Island Now reports a Kealakekua man was arrested after indictment for promoting child abuse, and that a previously missing and endangered 36-year-old woman was found in good health. Kauaʻi Now reports county services were affected after a fire at the Līhu‘e Civic Center late Wednesday night, with the blaze extinguished early Thursday.

Several stories point to broader civic and remembrance events. Maui Now says the Lāhainā Think Space remembrance project will travel outside Hawaiʻi for the first time for a Sept. 18 gathering in New York City. Across the state, flags are set to fly at half-staff on Sept. 11 for Patriot Day, and local communities are also hosting outreach and cultural events, including Maui’s Festivals of Aloha and Big Island police’s Coffee With a Cop series.