Lala Batters Hawaii's Big Island but Avoids Direct Hit

Hurricane Lala barely missed Hawaii's Big Island on Saturday, but residents are feeling it anyway. The storm's center skirted landfall by passing just south of the island, while outer bands knocked down trees, tore roofs, flooded key roads, and cut power to nearly 90,000 customers, reports the New York Times. One person was killed in a car accident blamed on the storm, per NBC News. Sustained winds hit 80 mph, making Lala a Category 1 hurricane, and Gov. Josh Green urged residents to stay put.

The National Hurricane Center warned rainfall totals into Sunday could climb to 35 inches in spots, triggering floods and mudslides. A flash flood emergency was declared in Naalehu after two homes were reported swept away. Lala is expected to weaken Sunday into a tropical storm as it moves west toward Maui, Oahu, and Kauai. Had Lala made landfall on the Big Island, it would have been the first direct hit in 155 years, notes the AP. The island, Hawaii's largest, has a population of 210,000.