Story perspectives

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Urges Skipping Kauai After Lowell

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 1:26 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority urges visitors to skip Kauai while the island recovers from Hurricane Lowell.
Governor Josh Green reports that about 84% of Kauai lacks power and roughly 33,000 homes remain without electricity.
He says damage exceeds $400 million and has asked FEMA for a major disaster declaration.
Food-truck owner Kelly Kakalia served nearly 600 free meals with generators and donated equipment to families without power.

History

Historical Context

In September 1992 Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai as a Category 4 storm, causing $3.1 billion in damage, destroying 1,421 homes and leaving many without power for months. The disaster exposed CPHC’s warning failures and spurred the state to pre-position generators and improve shelter coordination. Those lessons shape today’s response to new storms on the island.

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Story summary

Hawai‘i Tourism Authority urges visitors to skip Kauai while the island recovers from Hurricane Lowell.
Governor Josh Green reports that about 84% of Kauai lacks power and roughly 33,000 homes remain without electricity.
He says damage exceeds $400 million and has asked FEMA for a major disaster declaration.
Food-truck owner Kelly Kakalia served nearly 600 free meals with generators and donated equipment to families without power.

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