Why Hurricane Lala is a historic threat to Hawaii’s Big Island

Tropical Storm Lala strengthened on the Big Island of Hawaii (Picture credit: AP) Hawaii’s Big Island faced the threat of its first possible direct hurricane hit in 155 years on Saturday as Hurricane Lala strengthened into a Category 1 storm, bringing powerful winds, heavy rain and dangerous surf to the region.The National Hurricane Centre said Lala’s maximum sustained winds had reached 120 kmph.The storm’s centre was forecast to move over or very close to the southern end of the Big Island by Saturday evening, with forecasters warning of life-threatening flooding and mudslides.The Big Island, home to about 210,000 people, was under a hurricane warning, while tropical storm warnings were issued for Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.Heavy rain, flooding and power outages raise concernsRainfall was already falling heavily across parts of Hawaii as Lala approached. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said rainfall had reached about 5 cm an hour and urged residents to shelter in place.Forecasters warned that higher elevations of the Big Island could receive as much as 63.5 cm of rain, raising the risk of dangerous mudslides in the island’s mountainous terrain.The National ...