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ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Michelle in Mililani. "Just before sunset, the sky looked especially nice through the trees lining Mililani’s main streets."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

Michelle 2

<title>Hawaiʻi Skies: Through the trees</title>

Today's Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Michelle in Mililani.

Hawaiʻi Skies: Through the trees

Today&#039;s Hawai‘i Skies was captured by Michelle in Mililani. &quot;Just before sunset, the sky looked especially nice through the trees lining Mililani’s main streets.&quot; To submit your Hawai&#039;i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

A battle over water rights in East Maui boiled over Friday as the Board of Land and Natural Resources considered a proposal to auction off water rights for 30 years.

The East Maui Irrigation System delivers as much as 450 million gallons of water per day throughout thousands of acres of agricultural land in East Maui. The operation of the irrigation system is contingent upon a contract between the state and agricultural company Mahi Pono LLC, which, as of 2025, owns and operates 100% of the system.

On Friday, the BLNR considered a pair of possible futures for the EMI. On one hand, Maui County requested in April to have state-owned land and a daily average of 6.5 million gallons of surface water within the EMI to be set aside to the county’s control and management “for domestic, municipal and agriculture purposes.”

On the other hand, the BLNR could also sell via public auction a 30-year license to divert up to nearly 87 million gallons EMI waters daily.

For scores of Maui residents who testified on Friday, the choice was obvious. Testifiers spoke for more than eight hours urging the BLNR to either reject the public auction — in which Mahi Pono would be the only serious bidder — or postpone their decision.

Attendees warned against placing more of Maui’s natural resources under the control of private entities.

“Mahi Pono can purchase the water it legitimately needs for agriculture from a publicly managed system just like the rest of us small farmers here on Maui,” wrote farmer Eddy Garcia. “We already have to compete with them taking all of our sales. It does not need to control the source for the next 30 years.”

Others raised concerns about Mahi Pono’s corporate ownership: the business is a subsidiary of PSP Investments, a Canadian pension fund with substantial water holdings in Australia. Several testifiers argued that a foreign company’s chief fiduciary duty is to its shareholders, not the people of Maui.

“They are not farmers,” said testifier Tamara Lester. “They’ve squeezed out a lot of family farms and sell the water back to the people it should belong to.”

Still others pointed out that, in 2022, Maui residents voted to amend the county charter and establish the Department of the East Maui Water Authority, which came online in 2024 and is tasked with the stewardship of East Maui waters and acquiring water systems directly. Surrendering those water systems to a private entity instead would seem to contradict that charter amendment, many said.

Nonetheless, there were some voices in support of the auction. Scott Enright, former chair of the Department of Agriculture, wrote that the alternative to a 30-year water license would be repeated one-year revocable permits, which he opined would be “fundamentally mismatched” to the decades-long transition from the plantation era to more diversified agriculture.

After hours upon hours of impassioned opposition, the board voted unanimously to reject both options. Maui board member Jay Carpio introduced a motion to deny both the auction and the set-aside of land to Maui County. 

Included in that motion was a request for any further discussions on the matter to be held on Maui.

A contested case on the matter, requested by environmental group Sierra Club last December is still pending, after the state Environmental Court ruled in July that Sierra Club has standing to challenge the renewal of a revocable permit allowing Mahi Pono to divert water from the EMI.

Ditch 16x9

<title>BLNR rejects East Maui water auction decision</title>

Controversial proposal to auction East Maui water rights for 30 years rejected pending legal challenge.

BLNR rejects East Maui water auction decision

Ray Tsuchiyama

Business & Tourism

Columnists

During my two decades in Japan, every summer I traveled to Honolulu for our family vacation. After the flight from Tokyo, I would drive on Nimitz Highway, looking at miles of rusting warehouses and used-car lots, along with hundreds of single-wall homes and walk-up apartment buildings. And on every trip, I would ponder: Why hasn't anything changed since I first moved to Kalihi a few years after Statehood?

When I moved to Tokyo in 1991, I saw acres of old buildings and tiny streets in the middle of a vast metropolis. One by one, I witnessed hundreds of family-owned parcels assembled and redeveloped into projects such as Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown and, more recently, Azabudai Hills.

The contrast was staggering: old Tokyo residential neighborhoods becoming new mixed-use districts with retail, restaurants, entertainment, hotels and, most importantly, new housing.

I was witnessing a different development process.

Why didn't Hawaiʻi develop an equivalent process?

During my Hawaiʻi visits, over lunch with friends at Bishop Street law and banking firms, the conversation would return again and again to what they regarded as the Holy Grail of Hawaiʻi's economic discussion:

In hindsight, perhaps these questions started from the wrong place.

Of course, tourism is the obvious economic engine. But Hawaiʻi also has generationally accumulated private wealth, much of it embedded in real estate — which is a role rarely discussed in Hawaiʻi’s economy.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Families own:"}]

Much of this wealth is invisible in conventional economic-development discussions.

Hawaiʻi has two economies: the visible economy of visitors and the invisible economy of accumulated local capital.

Yet being “invisible” does not mean that Hawaiʻi families are necessarily poor in wealth. Instead, they are often heavily concentrated in one form of wealth: land and real estate.

Compare that with wealthy families in larger Mainland economies or internationally connected regions. Many have diversified their fortunes into operating businesses that produce revenues well beyond their home markets — like consumer or food products.

A family business in California or New York can build factories, distribution networks or brands that sell around the world. A small country or region does not necessarily have to be a limitation.

Switzerland is an instructive example. With a population of only about nine million — roughly nine Hawaiʻis —globally recognized Swiss firms like UBS, Rolex and Novartis remind us that the size of a domestic market does not determine the potential scale of a business.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hawaiʻi's challenge has been different."}]

Generations of Hawaiʻi families accumulated wealth primarily through land and real estate. That created long-term wealth, but it also created concentration.

A $50 million property portfolio is not the same thing as $50 million in cash, or a global operating company generating $50 million in annual revenue.

That distinction becomes especially important when a family owns a valuable property but needs capital to improve it.

Selling the property may conflict with family legacy, stewardship, future generations, emotional attachment, and long-term appreciation.

I recall sitting in the Castle & Cooke boardroom in the early 1980s and listening to the CEO discuss how the company owned thousands of acres of land but had difficulty finding the capital to develop it to its “highest and best use.”

If a major Hawaiʻi landowner with institutional relationships and access to Mainland credit lines could struggle to finance development, what happens to a family that owns a single Waikīkī retail property?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The issues are not theoretical."}]

One family member wants to renovate the building. Another wants a distribution. Someone else wants to buy a house.

These are not abstract questions of operations or return on investment. They are real family decisions being made today in Nu‘uanu, Mānoa, Hawaiʻi Kai and communities throughout the Islands.

The challenge for the next generation of Hawaiʻi families may not be creating wealth.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"It may be learning how to steward it."}]

The founder's philosophy — “Never sell the land” — worked remarkably well for a generation. Land provided security, income, appreciation, and family continuity.

But what happens when the founder is gone and the property passes to five children, 12 grandchildren and eventually 30 beneficiaries?

The circumstances change: multiple heirs, fragmented ownership, increasingly complex properties, capital requirements, redevelopment opportunities, and housing and community pressures.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"So the question evolves."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Not: Should we sell?"}]

But: How can we make the asset more productive while preserving long-term family ownership?

How do we responsibly deploy what we have for the next generation?

Perhaps the next evolution is to think of family land not simply as an asset to hold, but as a form of Neighborhood Capital — capital capable of participating in the long-term development of the communities around it.

That brings me back to my two-decade frustration at the start of every Hawaiʻi vacation.

What happens when Hawaiʻi's greatest untapped economic asset is not the monthly visitor count but what already exists in family balance sheets across the Islands?

Most importantly, what could Neighborhood Capital mean for Kalihi-Pālama, a historically overlooked community strategically sited between the airport and Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi's economic engine?

If the capital and the land are already here, why aren't we seeing more large-scale, locally rooted development?

Perhaps Hawaiʻi does not have a shortage of capital, land, or expertise.

What it may lack is a process for bringing them together — patiently, professionally and at a neighborhood scale.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "},{"type":"text","text":" "}]

This is the inaugural column in Ray Tsuchiyama’s series exploring one central question: How does Hawai‘i use the wealth and land it already has to create its next economic future? He can be reached at 

Oahu neighborhoods homes i Stock

<title>Hawaiʻi’s next billion-dollar industry is not tourism — it is capital stewardship</title>

Everyday people in Hawai‘i are, collectively, sitting on a vast source of wealth, mainly real estate. As Guild Consulting's real estate and finance expert Ray Tsuchiyama explains, the Islands' next big challenge — and opportunity — could be putting this wealth to work at the neighborhood level for positive change.

Hawaiʻi’s next billion-dollar industry is not tourism — it is capital stewardship

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

Upon a visit over the summer to the office of the president at 

, a private K-12 private school in Mānoa Valley, Paul Turnbull was beaming ear to ear while speaking with Aloha State Daily about some of the memorabilia and art that lined the portable

Beyond family photos and keepsakes from his near 14 years at the school, Turnbull had several black and white portraits displayed from Steve Jobs’ “Think Different” campaign.

“Fun fact: Brian Dote, a local Waipahu High School grad, who worked for Apple developing the original Iphone, including the photo gallery app, has served as Mid-Pac’s chief innovation officer since 2014,” according to Turnbull, who is planning to move from the Islands next summer to take on a new role as Head of School at 

“We started in 2014-15 to expand an immersive technology program. By the time we were done, it was the only program of its kind in the United States, and potentially in the world,” he shared. “We had students using 3D LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning to capture historic structures and artifacts. ... And those sensors capture everything that we would see, but it's digitized into the cloud.

“One of the things that we captured was the Natatorium, so working with the National Park Service, we 3D scanned the Natatorium down to the millimeter, so if anything further degrades 

 either because of an earthquake or manmade issues or climate 

 it is now based on actual data. And so, our kids were able to do work with nonprofits and then gift back all of those scans to them. They've worked with seven museums around town over a decade. They've scanned hundreds of objects as small as crown jewels from ʻIolani Palace, and as large as Honouliuli Internment Camp. It's absolutely amazing.”

Turnbull adds that the students have also explored 3D game design using virtual reality, while participating in robotics competitions.

“And our AI footprint now is really robust. That's something that we're really proud of,” he notes.

The first thing Mid-Pac did was “develop an AI Advisory Council,” which includes for-profit and nonprofit experts across industries, who have helped create the program and develop curriculum on utilizing artificial intelligence in research, governance and community. “We've trained 100% of our teachers, and probably over 75% of our office staff around campus, over a period of three years. It's to the point where we have teachers who are presenting at national conferences on how to integrate AI into curriculum. We have students presenting at local and national conferences on how to do the same thing from [their] perspective, and then locally on campus, we have students and teachers working together to collaborate on how to bring AI into the classroom.

“When many other schools are arguing about what AI should or shouldn't do or the drawbacks of AI, we're leaning into it and leading it to the place where we understand that it's not going away, and we would rather understand how to work with it and understand its effect on the educational setting, then to try to mold it to an old setting that is quickly becoming out of date.”

He says it has been rewarding to see how students and teachers are tackling AI from different perspectives and coming together on its uses and impact inside the classroom and beyond.

According to him, Mid-Pac also has a strong 

 which is a pre-professional "school within a school” 

 offering conservatory-style training in dance, hula, instrumental music, media, musical theatre, theatre, visual arts and voice.

Turnbull adds: "What we find overwhelmingly is that people come and stay at Mid-Pacific because of its culture. And that's something that I think is really emblematic of the spirit of Mid-Pacific. We're not the biggest school. We’re not the richest school, but we are rich in curiosity, we're rich in that feeling of ʻohana, and we're rich in our shared dedication to students.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Early career"}]

Turnbull, who was born and raised in Canada, told ASD that he “absolutely loves teachers.”

“I knew at 16 that I was going to be a teacher because of the teachers I had.”

He began teaching in Vancouver and went on to serve in various roles in California: Junior High School principal and principal of Santa Barbara High School, Assistant Superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, and Superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District.

Turnbull received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and master’s in education from University of Victoria, Canada.

A headhunter initially reached out to him about becoming Mid-Pac’s ninth president. “At the time, I said, ‘Thanks so much, but I’m not interested.’ Because my wife was happy in her job, our boys were happy in boarding school, our daughter was happy in elementary school. And as a superintendent, I was in a good place.”

He recalled that he and his wife, Leslie, looked at the school first as parents for their youngest daughter, Gabrielle, would have been entering 4th grade.

“We loved everything we saw,” he said. “Then we looked at the community and asked, could we live here in Honolulu. And we loved everything we saw. And then I started thinking of the job and loved everything that we saw. So, it truly was checking three very significant boxes … It felt right.”

Transitioning from public to private school was “different,” he said, noting that he “went from a five-person democratically elected board to a board of 20 people, who are outstanding community leaders that love the school and are supportive both in their talent and professional abilities.”

“The teachers are overwhelmingly professional and love the students. And then when it comes to the parents and alumni, every single constituency we have is invested in the school, which ultimately means we are all invested in the potential and lives of children. It’s just a truly wonderful place to be.”

When asked how he build rapport with the new board, Turnbull said, “I’ve been blessed, honestly; they are highly intelligent, highly successful and highly committed volunteers. There are individuals who have been with us for more than 20 years and some who have just joined us within that last few months. There’s a really nice representations of alumni, so there’s continuation of institution and knowledge and culture. We have individuals who are current parents, so you have this real understanding of current experiences in the needs and wants of families, and then you’ve got community members and parents of alumni 

“We’ve seen outstanding moments and trying moments, and in every case, they’ve not been my bosses. They’ve been my partners, and not every Head of School gets to say that,” he continued. “I’m really excited for my successor. It’s the right time for me to move on ... It’s time for me in good faith and in good conscious to hand off the baton. And I’m just so happy for who the next person is because the foundation is strong, the community is strong, the board is in a great place, plus you get to live in Hawaiʻi.”

When asked what he’s going to miss most about living and working in the Islands, Turnbull told ASD, “Hawaiian food, and the regional fusions of culture here; slack key guitar; the beaches, closeness to the Pacific ocean; and the Spirit of Aloha."

His advice to his successor? “Dive in with both feet. Be as curious as this school community is and find joy in the curiosity. This is a remarkable place with remarkable people. Listen, and amazing things will happen.”

In June, the school’s board of trustees launched the 

, led by Chris Dods and Denis Isono, as well as activated executive search firm 

, which specializes in recruiting leadership for independent schools. Those interested can view the 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Campus improvements & fundraising"}]

Established in 1908, Mid-Pacific is a pioneer of project-based and interdisciplinary learning (MPX) in the state. The school is known for programs such as the 

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

 and its hula program Pūpūkahi I Ke Alo O Nā Pu, taught by Kumu Hula Michael Lanakila Casupang, which 

In May of last year, Mid-Pac broke ground on its new, 

 designed by local firm G70. According to previous reporting by ASD, the campus previously never had a track facility. An official opening celebration is slated to occur this school year.

Funds are also being raised for Mid-Pac’s 

, which would replace Bingham Hall, a structure built in 1953.

Under his leadership over the past 13 years, Turnbull has spearheaded doubling the amounts raised for its annual fund and endowment. “We are engaged in a comprehensive campaign right now that brings donors together... those are successes I’m proud of, he said. “We have raised in last six years $29 million. This year, we’re going to open a new track and field, with a natural spring, or piko of our campus, right beside it.”

“We’re the fourth largest independent school in the state (serving 1,400 students annually), but our endowment relative to our three larger neighbors is significantly lower, which means we stretch a dollar farther than any other school because we can push other resources to the classroom and to the teachers,” he continued. “Over the years, we've done everything we can to improve the environment, so we talk about the track, we talk about new buildings. The campus itself is an incredibly safe place. When we hire, we hire very specifically for teachers who are values aligned with our core mission and vision.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"What’s next?"}]

 gives an in-depth look of where the school is headed into 2035.

Turnbull said that in the first five years, the school hit 20 benchmarks.

For the 2026-27 school year, he is looking forward to meeting new students. “I’m also excited that my successor will meet everybody in the community, see how wonderful the place is, and take that next step.”

What will he take with him to his next chapter in North Carolina? “Sense of place, sense of community, connection between individuals, curiosity.

“This is one of the most innovative, joyful schools in the U.S.” he said. “I’m taking the spirit of that with me.”

Mid Pac Convocation

<title>Exit interview with Mid-Pacific Institute’s president</title>

Mid-Pac’s outgoing president Paul Turnbull, who will have served in the role for 14 years come his departure next summer, reflects on his education career, the school’s new campus improvements, and what students and staff can expect this school year.

Exit interview with Mid-Pacific Institute’s president

De Soto 2025

DeSoto Brown

Hawai‘i History

There was a time when neon signs were all over the place in Honolulu, and indeed pretty much all over the world. Today they are rare to nearly nonexistent, and they mostly evoke memories of the middle decades of the 20th century. What is neon? What made it popular, and why did it go away?

First, scientifically, neon is a rare gas which is naturally present in a small amount in earth’s atmosphere; it was first identified as an element in 1898. A French inventor, Georges Claude, discovered that if pure neon gas enclosed in an airtight glass enclosure was electrified, it would give off a bright orange-red glow. In 1912 Claude’s company, using this technology, began manufacturing the first neon advertising signs. (Although known just as “neon signs” they did, in fact, use other gases as well to produce different colors.) After coming into use in France, the first such electric signs were displayed in the USA in the early 1920s (said to specifically have been by a Los Angeles car dealership in 1923), and Americans immediately took to these amazing and striking new lights that soon would dramatically alter downtown streets by night.

Initially, the Claude Neon company registered patents in the United States for specific processes that they used in their manufacturing process. From this fact they implied that they alone were the only authorized makers of neon signs and that all competitors were potentially in legal violation of their patents. In Honolulu, as neon was first promoted to customers in 1928-1929, two competing sign companies (with confusingly similar names) that represented two manufacturers mildly battled about this in their ads. The Electric Shop, licensed by Claude Neon through a California company, stated the former “controls the neon sign patents in America” and that customers must “Beware of Imitations.” Meanwhile the Electric Supply Company, agent for QRS Neon, said it would protect customers from claims of patent infringement if any such arose.

The Electric Shop was the first to offer neon signs in Hawaii, but under cumbersome restrictions. Such signs were not sold to customers but only could be leased for three years, requiring monthly payments, with the option to extend the lease at half price after that. Meanwhile the Electric Supply Co. boasted that it sold signs outright, which probably was more attractive to buyers. The Electric Shop started things off in a big way in February 1928 by installing 33 neon signs on both Standard Oil gas stations (13 of them) and Shell stations (20 out of the 88 then on O‘ahu). The latter were said to “sparkle with beautiful Neon signs by night” in a newspaper ad on May 1, 1928. By July of the following year, some of the Honolulu businesses with neon included the Benson Smith Drug Store, Manufacturer’s Shoes, Hub Clothing, Henry May & Co. groceries, and two of the Consolidated Amusements movie theaters. By the 1930s, the latter would be adding significant amounts of neon to their theaters’ marquees and facades.

Into the 1960s, neon would be a growth industry locally. For sign companies, neon could be financially lucrative since the fragile glass tubes that created the colorful glows required constant care and maintenance. Not only could these be broken, either by mistake or intentionally by vandals, they also tended to gradually flicker or go out completely through damaged electrical connections. Signs that blinked in successive patterns would eventually go out of whack as well. And since neon was almost always mounted high up on poles or the fronts of buildings, intentionally out of reach of the public, servicing it required climbing ladders or using other mechanical means of getting to it.

All this trouble meant that customers increasingly began to choose cheaper and less problematic signs made from plastic panels illuminated from behind by fluorescent light bulbs. And as these replaced neon, the exacting technique of bending the thin glass tubes into the required shapes of letters or other designs by holding them over a very hot flame like a bunsen burner was gradually lost by the experts who once had done this work.

During the 1930s neon was mostly perceived as being a colorful and lively part of urban areas, but by the late 1940s its reputation began to slip. In detective novels and Hollywood’s famous “film noir” crime dramas, neon instead began to symbolize the sleazy parts of cities where dangerous things happened and bad guys ran wild. In Hawaii specifically, neon began to be criticized in the 1950s. Don Beachcomber, restauranteur and eventual developer of the International Market Place, advocated that all neon be banished from Waikīkī since Kalākaua Avenue was “already taking on the aspects of any mainland street at night.” A visiting ad agency executive from Minnesota warned “... for heaven’s sake, don’t make [Hawai‘i] a neon paradise and over-commercialize it." A visitor from Connecticut wrote in a newspaper letter in 1956: “Everywhere neon signs! What has happened to the people of Hawai‘i that such desecration is permitted?” But at the same time a spokesman for a group of neon dealers countered that such signs “tend to aid crime prevention” (??) and that “many tourists have inquired why Honolulu doesn’t have huge sign displays like New York’s Times Square or Florida’s Miami Beach.” (Dubious).

In the end, it wasn’t a bad reputation that brought neon’s reign to an end; it was just cost, fragility and changing technology. A revival of interest and appreciation for neon began in the 1970s but this of itself was not enough to keep its use at the level of decades past. The incredibly specialized training necessary to bend the glass tubing into complex shapes stopped and those capable of doing it died off, and eventually LEDs replaced it with equally bright colors and even more changing patterns. While neon will, it’s hoped, always survive in some fashion, never again will Hawaiian skies be as widely lit by its glow as in the 20th century.

1 Neon montage ca 55 16x9

<title>Neon, its birth and death in Hawai‘i</title>

Bright, colorful neon signs debuted in the Islands nearly a century ago, with literal Hollywood glamor — the Waikīkī, Kūhiō and other movie palaces used them. Restaurants and small businesses of all kinds went for neon, too. Over time, they became associated with dive bars and the bad side of town. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown revisits and the highs and lows of this distinctly 20th-century form of advertising.

Neon, its birth and death in Hawai‘i

Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Swimming comes more naturally to some dogs than others..."}]

Smile 26 8 13

<title>Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026</title>

Swimming comes more naturally to some dogs than others...

Daily Smile: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026

WEB square crop Hayley Lehman Headshot RGZ1636

Haley Lehman

 More than 4,000 homes on Hawai’i Island lost power Saturday morning as Hurricane Lala approaches the state.

Hawaiian Electric announced that about 4,050 customers on the island, largely in Puna, North and South Kohala, and South Hilo were without power as of 7 a.m. Meanwhile, about 160 customers in Upcountry Maui and about 100 in the Hawai’i Kai area of O’ahu were also without power at the same time.

Hawaiian Electric staff are addressing the outages, but customers are advised to plan for possible extended outages as the storm progresses. Crews are standing ready to begin damage assessments once it is safe to do so.

The City and County of Honolulu opened eight hurricane refuge centers today at school facilities around the island: Blanche Pope, Kahuku and Nānākuli elementary schools and Castle, Kapolei, Mililani, Moanalua and Roosevelt high schools will remain open as shelters “as conditions warrant.”

All refuge shelters are pet-friendly, but people should bring their own food, water, medications and other supplies whenever possible.

The city relocated 63 residents of the Homeless Outreach and Navigation for the Unsheltered program to the Kapolei High School shelter. Tents at the HONU site are being disassembled until storm conditions abate.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply has advised residents to conserve water throughout the storm in case of power outages. According to a city announcement, the water system’s pumps rely on electricity to operate, so conservation can maintain reservoir levels and reduce system demand during an outage.

Residents are also urged to avoid hazardous ocean conditions, as lifeguards in Waikīkī and Ala Moana conducted 95 rescues on Friday alone. High surf warnings remain in effect for the windward shores of all islands at least until 6 a.m. Sunday.

All city parks and recreational facilities will close at 6 p.m. until further notice, including for permitted activities such as overnight camping. The city will assess on Sunday when it might be safe to reopen them. 

 "Damaging hurricane-force winds are expected on the Big Island of Hawai‘i later today, with the strongest wind gusts expected in areas of higher terrain," reports the 

 as it tracks Tropical Storm Lala. "Tropical-storm-force winds are already beginning on the Big Island, and preparations should now be complete. Tropical-storm-force wind gusts are also beginning across portions of the smaller islands and should continue through Sunday."

CPHC said that ﻿﻿﻿the Hawai‘i Island will see increasingly heavy rainfall this morning, which will then spread west across the Islands through the weekend.

"This rainfall will produce life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain," said CPHC. "﻿﻿﻿Large and dangerous waves are expected across portions of the Hawaiian Islands this weekend. Surf is already building along east-facing shores and will increase along exposed southern shores as Lala passes through the region. This heavy surf may cause localized coastal flooding and significant beach erosion."

Read on for the latest updates, including reports on official preparations underway.

As of 5 p.m. on Friday, Tropical Storm Lala is approximately 235 miles east south-east of South Point, Hawaiʻi and 440 miles southeast of Honolulu with maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour.

Gov. Josh Green called Lala an “enormous storm” during a press conference Friday. 

“Let’s just say this: it’s going to be a heck of a lot of wind and water."

“Just be very safe throughout this storm,” Green said. “We can repair roads, we can replace cars, we can fix schools but it’s hard for us if we lose one of the people we love.”

The storm is currently moving at 14 miles per hour and is anticipated to reach Hawaiʻi Island Saturday morning and Oʻahu Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning for the counties of Maui, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi on Friday. Hawaiʻi Island remains under a hurricane warning as the storm is expected to become a category 1 hurricane by the time it reaches the island, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds that may cause flooding and landslides.

NWS Meteorologist John Bravender said that Lala is on track to reach just south of Hawaiʻi Island but it’s uncertain how the storm will interact with its terrain.

Residents are encouraged to review their emergency plan, secure outdoor items, charge electronic devices and have enough food, water and supplies. 

Hawaiʻi Department of Defense Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan said Friday that the Hawaiʻi National Guard is prepared to support county and state emergency response efforts with the activation of 180 Hawaiʻi National Guard personnel across the state and military high-yield vehicles. The Coast Guard is prepared to conduct search and rescue efforts, if needed.

According to Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda, the last hurricane that hit Hawaiʻi Island was in 1871. Hurricane Iselle peaked in the Pacific before it was downgraded to a strong tropical storm in August 2014.

Alameda encouraged Hawaiʻi Island residents to hunker down and stay off the roads.

City and County of Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said at a press conference Friday that the City is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.

“The City is prepared. Now we need you to be prepared, too,” he said. “We can’t control the storm necessarily, but we can prepare for it.”

NWS estimates that the storm will bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to the Leeward side of Oʻahu, 4 to 6 inches of rain to the Windward side and 6 to 8 inches of rain in mountainous regions.

The City will open a non-emergency call center at 7 a.m. on Saturday, which can be reached at 808-723-8960. Residents are urged call 911 for all emergencies. 

At the Friday press conference, Blangiardi called the Kona Low storms in March a “reality check” and said that the City and County of Honolulu has been informed on how to prepare and respond to future storms.

According to Honolulu Police Department Major Cliff Ramson, commander of the major events division, the 

City and County departments hosted their own emergency centers during natural disasters like the Kona lows. The Joint Operations Center was established during the Kona Low storms to coordinate efforts and deploy first responders, and for this storm, the city activated the Joint Operations Center Friday morning.

“It’s an all hands on deck, just getting all the right people in the room together to identify and solve problems as they arise and direct resources as they’re most needed,” he said.

Police Chief David Lazar added that the police department is being proactive and is ready to deploy.

“We also want to tell the public that if anyone thinks they can go out and commit a crime during this time, they better think different,” he said.

Ocean Safety Chief Kurt Lager said that the surf will change quickly, with waves of up to 8 to 12 feet.

Department of Transportation Services Director Roger Morton said Friday that the department is not predicting any road closures, but the department will be monitoring conditions island-wide. He encouraged residents to avoid unnecessary travel and to never drive through standing water.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the City and County of Honolulu Department of Facilities Maintenance has been preparing for the storm by clearing streams and bridges and opening stream mouths. Dam owners were directed by the state to inspect their facilities and dams have been secured, according to Green.

The Community Outreach Response and Engagement team has been engaging with the houseless populations and offering shelter with a focus on areas near bridges and streams, according to Honolulu Emergency Services Department Director Jim Ireland.

As of Saturday morning, the storm is hitting Hawai‘i Island — where blackouts have impacted thousands of homes — and will travel west over the rest of the Islands. City and state officials take an "all hands on deck" approach to impending storm, Lala. Hereʻs the latest word on Lala.

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Hawaiʻi Skies: Through the trees

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawaiʻi Skies: Throwback Thursday

Hawaiʻi Skies: Azure sky

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