Tropical Storm Lala: Maui County updates on closures, outages

Tropical Storm Lala continued tracking west of the main Hawaiian Islands Sunday evening, and the National Weather Service canceled the Tropical Storm Warning for Maui County and Oahu. A Flood Watch remains in effect for Maui County through tonight, according to officials.

Tropical Storm Lala impacts and safety reminders

By direction of Gov. Josh Green, all County of Maui offices on Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi will be closed Monday, Aug. 17. Only essential staff should report.

  • Most County Department of Parks and Recreation facilities remain closed pending damage assessments. South Maui parks, except for Kenolio, reopened midday today. Wailea parks remain closed. Waiehu Municipal Golf Course is closed.
  • Molokaʻi–Nāʻiwa Landfill and Recycling Center and Lānaʻi Landfill, closed on Aug. 15 due to high winds, are expected to reopen for regular hours at 8 a.m. on Aug. 18.

County Closures

Shelters

Scheduled to open:

With extended outages Upcountry, the County and American Red Cross will open a shelter with charging and Wi‑Fi at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at Eddie Tam Memorial Center, 931 Makawao Ave., Makawao. Shelters provide cots, food and water. Bring bedding, medications and other essential items.

Plan ahead for dietary needs. Pets are allowed only in crates or cages.

Open:

  • Hāna: Hāna High & Elementary School Cafeteria, 4111 Hāna Highway

Closed today, Aug. 16:

  • Closed 5 p.m.: Lahaina Civic Center Gym, 1840 Honoapiʻilani Highway
  • Closed 4 p.m.: Kīhei, South Maui Community Park and Gym, 1501 Liloa Drive
  • Closed 2 p.m.: Baldwin High School, 1650 Kaʻahumanu Ave.
  • Closed 2 p.m.: On-call Temporary Evacuation Points on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi
  • Closed 1:30 a.m.: Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center, 91 Pukalani St., Pukalani

Water Outage

The Department of Water Supply placed four drinking water tanks at 1222 Olinda Road. A water service outage was reported in the Olinda and Piʻiholo areas of Upcountry as of 5:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

Restoration is estimated for Aug. 17.

Power Outages

Hawaiian Electric reports widespread outages across Maui County. For outage information, call 1-855-304-8181 or check the HECO Maui County outage map at www.heco.com.

Radio

For County storm updates, tune to KPOA 93.5 FM, DaJam 98.3 FM, ESPN Maui 102.5 FM / 900 AM, HI92 Maui, 99.9 Kiss FM, and K Country 106.1 FM / 550 AM.

County Cancellations

  • The East Maui Water Authority’s ‘Aha Wai O Maui Hikina Board meeting set for Aug. 17 in Kula is canceled.
  • The Office of the Mayor’s Holomua Kākou talk-story gathering and drop‑in centers on Lānaʻi for Aug. 17–18 are canceled and will be rescheduled.

Roadway advisories

Drivers are urged to stay off roads except for essential travel. Treat malfunctioning or dark traffic signals as four-way stops.

Never drive through moving water.

Road Closures

For County of Maui road closure updates, visit https://www.mauicounty.gov/roadclosures or download the Genasys Protect app via mauicounty.gov/MEMA.

County Transportation

  • Maui Bus fixed-route and ADA Paratransit services resumed at 10 a.m. on Aug. 16, with detours and exceptions for West Maui Express (#29) and Kīhei Villager (#15) due to storm impacts.
  • Expect delays given the weather. For current details, visit www.mauibus.org.
  • Park Maui paused parking ambassador staffing and active enforcement at 4 p.m. Aug. 15 at Kamaʻole Beach Parks I and III and Lahaina Harbor lots. Staffing resumes Aug. 17.

Damage Assessments

Residents and businesses can report private property damage through Crisis Track at mauirecovers.org to help document impacts and support recovery planning. Submitting a report does not provide direct assistance.

Damage to public roads, infrastructure or County-managed areas should be reported at https://tinyurl.com/mauicountylala. For help with assessments, call Maui Emergency Management Agency at 808-270-7285.

County Response

Mayor Richard Bissen signed an emergency proclamation on Aug. 13, allowing access to state and federal aid and streamlining procedures for rapid deployment of resources. The County Emergency Operations Center has been fully activated since 6 a.m. Aug. 15.

County departments began preparations on Aug. 12 by inspecting and clearing infrastructure, staging equipment and increasing staffing for emergency response.

More information

For the latest forecasts, visit the NWS Honolulu office at https://www.weather.gov/hfo/ and subscribe to Genasys Protect and MEMA alerts at mauicounty.gov/MEMA.

As Tropical Storm Lala moves away, Maui County urges residents to remain cautious, watch for flooding, and monitor official channels for updates on closures, power restoration and road conditions. For broader coverage of the storm’s track and impacts, see Hurricane Lala weakens, moves past Big Island toward Kauai.

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