Lowell Strikes Kauai with Flood Wreckage, Widespread Outages

Hurricane Lowell battered Hawaii’s Kauai and nearby islands with heavy rain, widespread flooding, and damaging winds, leaving about 80% of Kauai homes and businesses without power. Scenes of destruction included a home split in half, cars moved across a Sheraton parking lot, and an oceanfront restaurant destroyed. One death was reported on Oahu, though not yet confirmed as storm-related. Lowell has weakened to a tropical storm and is moving away, but residual moisture could bring more rain as cleanup begins. The event follows a pattern of Pacific storms linked to a strong El Niño.