Hurricane Lowell Batters Kauai, Triggering Prolonged Power Outages and Recovery Effort

Hurricane Lowell struck Kauai, Hawaii, beginning around September 8, 2026, prompting Gov. Josh Green to order school and government office closures on Kauai, Niihau and Oahu ahead of the storm. The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for Kauai County, home to more than 73,000 residents, as the storm brought damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding and the risk of mudslides and tornadoes to parts of the island. The storm's center passed near Niihau overnight, and by late Tuesday morning Kauai and Niihau were no longer under a hurricane warning. The storm caused widespread power outages and road closures across Kauai County, with about 90% of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative customers losing power at the peak of the outage. Utility officials described significant damage to transmission and distribution systems, with roughly 1,500 miles of lines requiring assessment before repairs could proceed. Downed trees and utility poles further complicated restoration efforts. By September 12, about a week after the storm, power had been restored to approximately 75% of customers, while some resorts and residents remained without electricity. Oceanfront resorts sustained damage from intense wind and surging waves during the storm. As of the most recent reporting, Kauai remained in a recovery phase, with flights resuming and some roads reopening even as power restoration and cleanup continued. Tourism officials asked visitors to avoid Kauai while residents and businesses worked to recover, citing ongoing utility and infrastructure repairs. The exact extent of property damage, total financial cost, and a definitive timeline for full power restoration remain unresolved based on available reporting.