Hurricane Lowell knocks out a port in Hawaii that is one island's main
source for food and fuel
[September 11, 2026]
HONOLULU (AP) — Crews began repairing the only cargo port on one of
Hawaii's smallest main islands while power was being restored to another
island Thursday, two days after Hurricane Lowell skirted along the
state's western edge. At least two deaths were linked to the storm.
On the island of Kauai, intense wind and surging waves damaged
oceanfront resorts, ripped apart roads and knocked out power, prompting
tourism officials to urge visitors to stay away for now. On Lanai, a
harbor that supplies much of the food and fuel to its 3,300 residents
was inoperable and will take about two weeks to repair, state officials
said.
The overall destruction to Hawaii’s infrastructure, businesses and homes
was expected to be the worst from a storm since Hurricane Iniki, a
Category 4 storm that walloped Kauai in 1992 and caused $3 billion in
damage.
While it has been a relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season, there
have been four hurricanes in the Pacific since the beginning of August.
Another tropical storm formed Thursday, but it was not expected to make
landfall.
Tourism takes a hit
Officials urged travelers to reschedule trips to Kauai or shift their
destination to another island. Thousands of customers, including some
resorts, remained without power, and crews continued clearing roads of
downed trees and toppled utility poles.
“Adjusting your itinerary allows you to continue your Hawaiʻi vacation
while supporting the state’s broader visitor economy as Kauaʻi
recovers,” Caroline Anderson, interim president and chief executive
officer of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, said in a statement.
Kauai sees only a small fraction of Hawaii’s almost 10 million visitors
each year, but tourism is its top economic driver, with people coming
from all over to take in its tropical landscapes, waterfalls and
dramatic cliffs. Local estimates say tourism accounts for 4 out of every
10 jobs on the island.
The hurricane’s powerful storm surge buckled and washed away roads,
knocked down the walls of homes and flooded resorts, sending rapids
through a hotel lobby, overturning furniture and leaving debris
everywhere. Extensive lines backed up at Kauai’s primary airport
Thursday as people tried to depart the island.
Despite running a restaurant business, Kelly Kakalia, co-owner of The
Musubi Truck, with three locations across Kauai, said she is not overly
worried about the interruption to tourism.
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This photo taken with a smartphone, People walk past damage caused
by Hurricane Lowell on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026 in Poʻipū on Kauaʻi's
south shore, in Hawaii. (Guy Miller/Honolulu Civil Beat via AP)
“I would be silly to say tourism doesn’t drive our economy,” she
said, but “our island needs time to rest and rebuild and make sure
locals have power and water” before welcoming back tourists.
“If we take a little hit, that’s just part of it,” Kakalia said.
Governor asks Trump to declare a disaster
Democratic Gov. Josh Green asked President Donald Trump on Wednesday
to issue a major disaster declaration to expedite federal help for
Kauai and Maui counties.
“We cannot wait for every damaged road, utility pole, harbor and
public facility to be assigned a dollar value before asking the
federal government to act,” Green said in making the request.
At Lanai's main harbor, the storm opened a sinkhole, damaged part of
the pier and scattered containers in the water, according to the
state's Transportation Department.
Planning was underway on other options to get supplies to the
island, which sees only a few visitors. Billionaire Larry Ellison
bought nearly all of the island in 2012 for about $300 million from
the owner of agriculture and real estate company Castle & Cooke Inc.
First responders on Kauai’s south end found the body of a
74-year-old man Wednesday near the shoreline. Authorities believe
his death was related to the storm surge, police said.
Another man was killed on Oahu when a large tree fell on his tent
Monday during the storm, the governor said. The man was homeless and
living in a park.
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