Sept. 12, 6:35 p.m., County of Kauaʻi, Hurricane Lowell Recovery
Published on September 12, 2026
LĪHUʻE – The scope of destruction left behind by Hurricane Lowell continues to grow.
In addition to 301 County damage assessments, community members have now self-submitted more than 464 residential damage reports.
County assessments have held steady at 57 homes suffering major damage and seven homes destroyed.
For recovery help, resources, and updates, visit www.kauairecovers.org.
Today at a glance
- Rumors of Port Allen closure and flipped barge are false.
- Neighborhood Centers closed; recreational activities suspended.
- Four additional food distributions scheduled.
- KIUC repair work to prompt lane closure in Hanalei tomorrow morning.
- Two temporary debris sites open.
- No bus service is available on Sunday.
- Power is restored for 76% of the island.
- Water systems are 100% restored but an island-wide water conservation notice remains in effect.
Port Allen rumors (NEW UPDATE)
In response to growing misinformation, the County is debunking rumours regarding critical storm recovery resources and infrastructure.
The County confirms that any claims regarding the full closure of Port Allen and any speculation that a fuel barge flipped in the water are false.
Port Allen is open for full operations, with the exception of nighttime operations.
A fuel barge is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, Sept. 13.
Neighborhood centers closed (NEW UPDATE)
All Neighborhood Centers are now closed until further notice. The Department of Parks and Recreation is temporarily suspending recreational use of these facilities to support the County’s hurricane response and recovery efforts.
The Kauaʻi Bus (NEW UPDATE)
No bus routes will be operating Sunday, Sept. 13.
Regular bus and paratransit service resumes Monday, Sept. 14.
The 900 and 950 Anahola-Waimea express routes will not run the week of Sept. 13. For route information, call 808-246-8110 or visit www.kauai.gov/transportation.
Food distribution (NEW UPDATE)
Food distributions will continue at the following locations:
- Sunday, Sept. 13 - Kapa‘a United Church of Christ, 1315 Ulu Street, Kapa‘a | 1 to 4 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 15 - Anahola Clubhouse, 3900 Kawelo Street, Anahola | 4 to 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Sept. 15 - Kōloa Ball Park, Maluhia Road, Kōloa | 3 to 5 p.m.
- Thursday, Sept. 17 - St. Raphael’s Church, 3011 Hapa Road Kōloa | 4:30 to 6 pm
Refuge areas (NEW UPDATE)
Open now:
- Kalāheo Neighborhood Center, 4480 Papalina Road
- Kīlauea Neighborhood Center, 2460 Keneke Street
- Līhuʻe Neighborhood Center, 3353 ʻEono Street
At 10 a.m. the Līhuʻe refuge area moved from the Kauaʻi High School gym to the Līhuʻe Neighborhood Center, to allow the school to reopen.
The refuge areas at Waimea Canyon Middle School and Kapaʻa Middle School closed Friday evening due to no evacuees seeking shelter at those locations.
As of 9 a.m. Sept. 12, 59 people and 3 pets were utilizing County refuge areas.
Trash and recycling
A temporary debris site in Kīlauea is set to open tomorrow, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. The site will accept mixed and green waste and can be accessed off Kūhiō Highway past the Kīlauea roundabout and across the street from Anaina Hou Community Park. The County is prioritizing disposal of food waste and will not accept scrap metal, appliances, recyclables, and other items at the Kīlauea site. The public is reminded that green and mixed waste must be separated.
A temporary green waste site opened today off of Kapaʻa Bypass Road. It will be open Sunday, Sept. 13 from 7:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Drivers can access the site via the southbound (one-way) lane of Kapaʻa Bypass Road adjacent to the Bryan J Baptiste Sports Complex.
Hanapēpē transfer stations and Kekaha Landfill are open for trash and green waste.
The Kapa‘a and Līhuʻe Transfer Stations are accepting trash only. Green waste dropoff is expected to resume tomorrow for the Līhu‘e Transfer Station.
The Hanalei Refuse Transfer Station has reopened to accept mixed waste only; no green waste, metals, or appliances can be accepted at this time.
Regular islandwide refuse collection pickup for Monday customers is expected to resume Monday, Sept. 14 to accessible areas.
HI-5 redemption in Līhuʻe has resumed. Other locations will remain closed until equipment is repaired.
KIUC Traffic Alert (NEW UPDATE)
KIUC will also be conducting transmission pole repairs at other locations along the North Shore. On Sunday, September 13, work will begin on the Hanalei side of the Hanalei Bridge. Work will require a lane closure with alternating traffic and may take 8 hours or more to complete. Work may also be conducted in other of the north shore
The exact start time is still being coordinated and work is expected to continue into the early evening. Please be prepared for delays, plan accordingly, and use extra caution around coned work areas. Flaggers will be onsite for traffic control.
We appreciate everyone’s patience, support, and cooperation while this important work is completed. Please slow down, stay alert, and be safe.
Power restoration update
About 76% of the island had power restored as of Saturday afternoon. Roughly 8.4K members are still out. Peak outages impacted about 33,000 customers. KIUC has 13 of 15 transmission lines back up. HECO plans to deploy more crews to assist on the North Shore.
Tomorrow, Sept. 13, approximately 100 additional personnel will arrive on Kaua‘i from Hawaiian Electric Company, Southern Cal Edison, and HMS Construction, Inc.
They will supplement KIUC crews and contractors: Premium, Asplundh and Wiggins Tech.
In total, KIUC will deploy roughly 250 personnel for restoration efforts.
Heavy focus is being placed on repairing transmission lines serving the North Shore. Once the transmission system is operational, and the distribution lines are deemed safe to energize, KIUC can begin repowering North Shore communities. KIUC aims to begin those restorations early next week.
Stay away from downed utility lines and call 911 if a line is an immediate danger. Update your contact information with KIUC at 808-246-4300 to get alerts. Outage map: kiuc.outagemap.coop
County closures
- Līhuʻe Civic Center remains closed until further notice after a fire at the Kāpule Building. Impacted services include Real Property, Planning, building and zoning, Wastewater, sewer billing, and the DMV, including driver’s licenses and vehicle registration.
- All County parks, campgrounds, and the Wailua Golf Course are closed.
- The Waimea and Kapaʻa pools are closed.
- County board and commission meetings are suspended.
- The Sept. 16 County Council meeting is canceled.
State and federal closures
- Kūhiō Highway, routes 56 and 560, are open through Hāʻena. Crews will resume debris clearing under the mauka Wailua River Bridge Sept. 20. The Wainiha double bridges are open to local traffic only, with a 5-ton weight limit.
- The Kūhiō Highway southbound morning contraflow through the Wailua corridor resumed normal hours today. Normal contraflow hours are Monday through Friday 4:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and Saturday 6:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
- All of Kuamoʻo Road is clear.
- Kōkeʻe and Waimea Canyon roads are still being cleared.
- Ahukini Road is now fully open.
- Halewili Road is open from the ʻEleʻele side of Kaumualiʻi Highway but remains closed from the Kalāheo side of the highway to Kauaʻi Coffee due to downed utility poles
- Monday, Sept. 14: one lane closed on Kaumualiʻi Highway between Kipu Road and Kaumakani, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Airport and harbors:
- Līhuʻe Airport is open and back on regular power. Arrive 90 minutes early for interisland flights and two hours early for flights to the continent.
- Nāwiliwili Harbor is open to cargo ships. No cruise ships are coming in.
- Port Allen is open for operations.
Other closures and advisories:
- State parks and forest reserves are closed.
- The Pacific Missile Range Facility has closed its recreation sites and guest pass program.
- A brown water advisory remains in effect islandwide. Stay out of floodwater and out of the ocean near stream mouths, drains, and harbors. The water may carry sewage, animal waste, chemicals, and debris.
More closures are possible as crews continue clearing roads.
Water
Department of Water systems are fully restored but an island-wide water conservation notice remains in effect. This conservation notice is due to DOW remote sites still relying on generator power.
A boil water notice remains in effect for Kīlauea.
Please only use water for essential needs.
- Outages can affect pumps and wells, so water may cut out or lose pressure even if your home is fine.
- Do not use water if you believe it has been contaminated by flooding.
- Report outages, low pressure, or broken mains at 808-245-5400. Updates are posted at kauaiwater.org.
Driving
Police are urging the public to travel only if necessary. Officers are escorting work crews, and extra traffic is slowing debris removal, power restoration, and road repairs.
- Skip non-essential travel. This includes general sightseeing and driving to view storm damage.
- Pull to the right and stop when an emergency vehicle approaches.
- Never follow a police escort or use one to get into a closed area.
- Obey closures, barricades, and directions from officers and flaggers.
- Treat every dark traffic light as a four-way stop. Lights are out islandwide.
- Report hazards like downed lines or blocked roads. Do not stop to take photos.
Next storm
State officials are monitoring Hurricane Norbert, which could pass the islands late next week. Currently, it is too early to predict the storm’s track, but in anticipation of possible impacts, now is the time to restock your emergency supplies. For preparedness information, visit ready.hawaii.gov.
Visitors
Hawaiʻi is still welcoming visitors but is also urging anyone with upcoming trips to the islands to monitor conditions. The state is also encouraging travelers with upcoming trips to Kauaʻi to consider visiting another island to allow Kauaʻi time to heal and recover from Hurricane Lowell.
Numbers and resources
Use 911 only for life-threatening emergencies. Calls about weather or road conditions tie up the line and delay help for others. For non-emergencies, call KPD Dispatch at 808-755-8516 or 808-652-7837. KPD’s usual non-emergency line, 808-241-1711, is still down.
To sign up for Everbridge, the County’s emergency notification service, please visit www.kauai.gov/KEMA and click on “Notification Services.” You may also text “KAUAIEMA” to 888777, or call the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency’s alternate numbers at 808-726-0702 or 808-347-9833. The KEMA non-emergency line, 808-241-1800, remains unavailable due to ongoing outages.
For recovery help, resources, and updates, visit www.kauairecovers.org.
Report your damage
Take photos, write down what was damaged, and file a report at bit.ly/kauaidamage. These reports show how much of the island was hit and may help Kauaʻi qualify for state and federal aid. The state has asked for a fast-tracked presidential disaster declaration. You still need to file a claim with your insurance company.
Report roadway and public space hazards at bit.ly/kauaihazard. Businesses can report damage at bit.ly/lowelldamage.
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