City urges residents to stay safe as Tropical Storm Lala brings damaging winds, heavy rain
HONOLULU – The City and County of Honolulu is urging residents and visitors to prepare to remain in a safe location throughout the morning Sunday as Tropical Storm Lala moves through the Hawaiian Islands, bringing strong, damaging winds and heavy rain.
Oʻahu remains under a Tropical Storm Warning, and the City’s eight hurricane refuge areas have been open since 8 a.m. Saturday. The City’s Emergency Operations Center and Honolulu Police Department Joint Operations Center remain fully activated, with City departments and first responders monitoring conditions and coordinating response operations across the island.
Drivers are urged to stay home because there are currently more than 20 storm-related road closures across the island, including key thoroughfares like Pali Highway, Dillingham Boulevard, and Kalakaua Avenue.
Residents who may have suffered damage at home are encouraged to fill out the residential damage assessment form, available at this link: Damage Assessment Residential – Public Self-Report Form – Veoci.
Latest forecast
Lala continues to generate powerful winds and heavy rain as it moves through the Hawaiian Islands, heading west-northwest. Lala has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Oʻahu remains under a tropical storm warning and a flash flood warning until noon. A high surf advisory also remains in effect for east-facing shores.
Right now, tens of thousands of HECO customers are without power. Traffic signals are out at many intersections. Drivers should treat those intersections as a four-way stop and should follow HPD officer directions. Many large trees were snapped or were uprooted overnight, making roads impassable. Heavy rain associated with the storm remains a possibility, even as the storm slowly loses strength. There are deep puddles and ponding on roadways. Oʻahu is under a high surf advisory until 2 p.m. Sunday.
Hurricane refuge areas remain open
Eight City hurricane refuge areas remain open across Oʻahu for residents and visitors who need a safe place during the storm.
- Blanche Pope Elementary School
- Castle High School
- Kahuku Elementary School
- Kapolei High School
- Mililani High School
- Moanalua High School
- Nānākuli Elementary School
- Roosevelt High School
All locations are pet-friendly. Individuals should bring food, water, medications, and other essential items whenever possible, along with necessary supplies for their pets.
135 people stayed at refuge areas while 53 people were housed in HONU (Homeless Outreach and Navigation).
City response operations
City departments and first responder agencies will remain fully staffed and operational throughout the morning, with crews positioned to respond to flooding, downed trees, blocked roadways, wastewater issues and other storm-related emergencies.
Throughout August 15 and into the early hours of August 16, Honolulu Police Department personnel responded to more than 160 storm-related calls for service across the island. Officers directed traffic, closed unsafe roadways and worked alongside other city agencies and first responders to address downed trees, power lines and other storm debris.
The Honolulu Ocean Safety Department (HOSD) will be on duty from 8 a.m. as usual. Lifeguards will begin the day with the towers closed, or shuttered, and have employees report to a district substation or other City HOSD facility. HOSD will be providing mobile response to 911 calls until weather conditions allow for safe tower operations.
Public transportation
The City’s Department of Transportation Services (DTS) will resume TheBus service Sunday, August 16, following the Saturday evening suspension of service due to the effects of Tropical Storm Lala. Service restoration is getting underway at this hour but interruptions to routes are highly likely due to multiple road closures across the island.
Skyline and Handi-Van services will operate their regular service, however, please allow extra travel time due to any weather or safety-related service delays and exercise extreme caution if driving. Travel with caution, and mahalo for riding with us.
The public is urged to avoid unnecessary travel during severe weather, allow extra time for travel, and exercise extreme caution if driving.
Refuse operations
The Department of Environmental Services (ENV) will close all refuse convenience centers, transfer stations, and the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill on Sunday, August 16. Conditions will be reassessed Sunday to determine whether facilities can safely reopen Monday.
ENV is also urging residents to secure gray, blue, and green refuse carts before winds intensify. Carts should be moved into a garage or carport when possible, or placed against a building or wall out of the wind to prevent them from tipping over or becoming airborne.
Honolulu Zoo
The Honolulu Zoo remains closed Sunday to protect visitors, employees and animals. Zoo staff continues to care for the animals and monitor conditions, and the facility will reopen once it is determined safe to do so.
Municipal Golf Courses
Department of Enterprise Services (DES) will temporarily suspend play at all municipal golf courses on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026 due to the severe weather conditions.
Parks and recreation
All City parks and recreational facilities will suspend activities until further notice, including permitted activities, overnight camping and People’s Open Markets.
All City botanical gardens will be closed Sunday. Parks personnel will assess facilities as conditions allow before determining when they can safely reopen.
Blaisdell Center
The Neal S. Blaisdell Center announced the cancellation of today’s BIA Home Building & Remodeling Show in the Exhibition Hall due to the ongoing severe weather conditions. This cancellation is out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of guests, staff, and vendors. The Hawai‘i National Boxing International scheduled to go on today in the Blaisdell Arena is still on.
Water conservation
Due to widespread power outages in North Shore and metro areas, BWS is reminding all residents to only use water for essential needs — drinking, cooking and sanitation. Island-wide conservation will help to keep reservoirs as full as possible until before, during and after the storm.
Stay home and stay safe
As conditions worsen, residents should avoid unnecessary travel and remain in a safe location whenever possible.
Never drive through a flooded roadway. Stay away from streams, drainage channels and other waterways, which can rise rapidly with little warning. Stay away from beaches and shorelines experiencing dangerous surf.
Keep phones and backup batteries charged and be prepared for possible power outages. Secure any remaining loose outdoor items only if it is safe to do so.
If you experience an emergency, call 911.
City non-emergency call center
The City’s non-emergency call center remains open to provide storm-related information and assistance.
Residents and visitors may call (808) 723-8960 for non-emergency information, including weather updates, hurricane refuge area information, and other City resources and services.
Sign up for customized HNL Alert notifications at HNLAlert.gov or text HNLALERT to 888777 to receive urgent emergency notifications.
The City’s Emergency Operations Center will remain fully activated throughout the night, and City departments and first responders will continue monitoring conditions and responding to storm-related impacts across Oʻahu.
The City will provide regular public updates with the next update scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, or sooner if conditions warrant.
Residents and visitors should continue monitoring official City communications and HNL Alert notifications as conditions change.
—PAU—
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
