Hawaiians have stocked up on supplies,including sandbags (Picture: Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chroni)
Mike Caputo,who lives in Keaau on Big Island’s east coast,said albizia,a common large tree,is so brittle that the storm may easily down it.
‘They can make roads impassable,’ he added.
Nearly 40 roads have been shut due to mudslides and trees and power lines torn down by the winds,county officials said.
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Christine Matsuda,who lives in Waimea,said the gusts have ‘rattled’ her home.
‘We’re finding unexpected leaks in places that don’t see water under normal conditions,’ she said.
Hilo International Airport (ITO) and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole (KOA) were closed yesterday,postponing 190 flights.
A notice on their websites says: ‘Due to the declared state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Lala,travellers are strongly advised to check directly with their airline for the most up-to-date status and travel advisories.’
Hurricanes are circular storms that form over warm waters,with very low air pressure at the centre. Unlike a typhoon,they form in the North Atlantic,the northeastern Pacific,the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico.
Only 19 hurricanes have passed within 100 miles of Hawaii,most during periods of El Niño,a weather system that blows warm ocean water west.
Dozens of roads are closed (Picture: AFP)
Lala’s path as of Friday (Picture: National Hurricane Center)
Lala curdled from a tropical storm into a hurricane (Picture: NOAA/AFP/Getty Images)
Lala would have been the first hurricane to make landfall in 34 years if initial projections were correct.
The hurricane rolled onto the island two days after Kīlauea,a volcano along the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island,erupted.
For some 10 hours,lava flowed and spurts reached 500ft,with officials warning another episode is likely.
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