A hurricane that spent much of early September flirting with Category 5 strength brushed past Hawaii's western islands this week, and the toll is now coming into focus: one confirmed death, a Kauai power grid crippled across nine of every ten homes, and a National Guard deployment spread across four islands. Lowell never made a direct landfall, but the storm's outer wind field was enough to snap power poles, tear apart a small-boat harbor, and force schools shut through the rest of the week.
A Fatal Tree Fall in Waimanalo
The storm's only confirmed fatality came Monday night on Oahu, when a large tree came down on a tent at Sherwood Beach in Waimanalo, killing the man sleeping inside. Police were called to the scene at roughly 8:35 that evening, just as tropical-storm-force winds from Lowell's leading edge began lashing Oahu. Governor Josh Green identified the victim as unhoused, describing him as "a homeless individual living in a tent, and a tree fell on him." Investigators logged the case as an unattended death, telling reporters there was no evidence pointing to foul play.
Kauai Takes the Hardest Hit
Kauai took the hardest hit of any island. By Tuesday morning, more than 36,000 households — about 90% of Kauai Island Utility Cooperative's customer base, according to the governor's office — had no electricity. That figure eased slightly by Tuesday afternoon to roughly 33,000 members still in the dark, as crews restored service to a few hundred customers in Eleele and Hanapepe, though KIUC still has about 1,500 miles of transmission and distribution lines to inspect. "We need to understand the extent of the damage and what repairs are necessary," said David Bissell, KIUC's chief executive, adding that some areas could stay without power for days or longer.
The outages knocked out municipal water pumps, prompting an islandwide conservation notice, and health officials issued a brown-water advisory that reaches Oahu and stretches of Maui in addition to Kauai, after runoff carried sewage and debris into coastal waters. At Port Allen, storm surge and high winds tore apart the small-boat harbor's piers and sent several vessels to the bottom; further west, the same surge is believed to have wrecked Waimea's pier as well. On the roads, downed poles, fallen trees and swollen streams have closed stretches of Kaumualii Highway, Waimea Canyon Drive and Kuhio Highway near Hanalei, where a landslide also shut the route at Waikoko Point. Kauai's public schools will stay closed through Friday. Storm damage was also reported at Kanuikapono Public Charter School, where a snapped utility pole and several leaking roofs will keep the campus shut until repairs are finished. Roughly 300 residents are riding out the storm's aftermath in five shelters — in Kalaheo, Kapaa, Kilauea, Lihue and Waimea — where state sheriffs are providing security.
Oahu and Maui: Power Coming Back On
Oahu escaped the storm's core but still took a beating from its edge, with gusts in Makaha climbing to 81 mph and rainfall topping nine inches in some spots. Hawaiian Electric crews restored power to roughly 13,100 customers between Tuesday morning and night, leaving about 1,500 still waiting as of 9:30 p.m. High surf of up to 25 feet buried Farrington Highway under sand and debris on the Leeward Coast, shutting the road down. On Maui, roughly 2,700 Waiehu-area customers lost power early Tuesday, but utility crews had most of them reconnected within hours; three boats came loose near Makena and Lahaina, though no injuries were reported.
From Category 2 to Category 1 Overnight
Lowell's approach to the islands tracked a steady weakening trend. The storm was still a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph as it neared Monday evening — just shy of Category 3 strength — before easing to a Category 1 by the time it made its closest approach. At 5 a.m. Tuesday, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center placed the storm's center 145 miles to the northwest of Lihue, tracking north at 18 mph with top sustained winds near 90 mph. The storm also prompted the islands' first tornado watch on record, issued Monday night and allowed to expire early Tuesday with no confirmed touchdown. It marked a dramatic comedown for a system that had reached Category 5 strength twice in the first days of September, with sustained winds hitting 160 mph at its peak before wind shear repeatedly knocked it back down.
National Guard Spread Across Four Islands
Statewide, 305 Hawaii National Guard troops are now supporting the storm response: 144 on Oahu, 77 on Kauai — with 25 more soldiers authorized to reinforce Task Force Kauai — 56 on Hawaii Island, where crews are still clearing debris left by last month's Tropical Cyclone Lala, and 28 on Maui, including High Water Vehicle Teams that helped rescue stranded drivers near Olowalu.
What Comes Next
Governor Green has been blunt about the timeline ahead for Kauai's hardest-hit neighborhoods, saying "it's going to take quite some time to get back to normal." Agricultural damage assessments on the island are only beginning, and state officials caution it could be several days before anyone has a clear picture of what local farmers and ranchers lost. For now, emergency management agencies are urging residents across the islands to stay off flooded roads, avoid downed power lines, and steer clear of brown, storm-churned coastal waters until conditions improve.
