Kaua‘i News

Now is the time to complete your emergency disaster and to-go kits, get your homes prepared for possible electric and water outages and know what resources are available.

Kauaiʻi and Niʻihau will feel the impacts of Category 3 Hurricane Lowell Monday morning, with high winds, strong surf, high storm surge, possible flooding and possible tornadoes.

The National Weather Service also has issued a high surf advisory for east-facing shores of Kaua’i.

On Sunday it was the calm before the storm, with Kauaʻi County officials urging residents to brace for severe weather starting to arrive Monday by stocking supplies, securing homes, and considering refuge areas as a last resort.

Customers are asked to limit water use to essential uses only such as drinking, cooking, laundry and sanitation purposes until Hurricane Lowell has safely passed and conditions have returned to normal.

David Hitzl, National Weather Service Emergency Response Specialist, said the biggest threat Category 3 Hurricane Lowell poses to Kaua‘i County is surf, which “is going to be enormous.”

Crews on Aug. 16 began clearing Kainahola Stream in Kapaʻa along Kapaʻa Bypass Road; an estimated completion date will be released as work progresses.

$22,000 in Kaua‘i Strong funds deployed to 3 local nonprofits to strengthen resilience of vulnerable families and households by enabling delivery of proactive preparedness outreach and rapid procurement and distribution of essential food, supplies and other life-sustaining resources before the storm.

Free, family-friendly event brings 30-plus vendors, health teams, live entertainment and local food to Waimea on Sept. 19.

Event organizers said canceling was a last resort after they explored alternate routes, reduced road closures and other adjustments, but none were acceptable.

The 4-year project, in partnership with University of Nebraska-Lincoln, began Sept. 1 and will combine artificial intelligence, environmental sampling, advanced genetic analysis and high-resolution chemical analysis to identify and monitor potential risks to aquaculture, livestock and agricultural systems.

Moisture along the eastern flank of Hurricane Lowell will bring periods of heavy rain to the main Hawaiian Islands late Sunday through Tuesday.

Granting the 15-day extension provides a 45-day acceptance period, the maximum allowable time by state law; the state now has until Sept. 29 to decide on impact statement.

Guests also will have the opportunity to tour the Kauaʻi Veterans Museum, which will be open during the event.

Plastic pollution doesn’t take vacations — and luckily, neither does the Surfrider network; even as summer winds down, Surfrider activists have been hard at work reducing plastic pollution and protecting beloved places.

The Port of Nāwiliwili will be open with special gate hours from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. today (Sept. 5) for cargo pickup.

In observance of Labor Day on Sept. 7 there will be no contraflow or lane closures unless otherwise permitted. The Kaua‘i Marathon and Half-Marathon (https://thekauaimarathon.com/the-race/the-course/) also is scheduled Sept. 6, with several road closures necessary.

Salvin Hilario was sentenced to five years in prison for the death of Kailon Tyndzik in a hit-and-run last year despite family protests against the plea deal.

A special talk story with National Museum of the American Indian Associate Curator for Native Hawaiian History Halena Kapuni-Reynolds also is planned Sept. 8 in the college library; the museum produced the exhibit.

The trail was initially closed to allow county crews to perform necessary repair work.