Hawaii island residents make last-minute preparations for Lala

As Tropical Storm Lala approached the Big Island on Friday, residents and visitors in Hilo were busy preparing for the heavy rains and strong winds that will be felt across the county.

The streets of downtown Hilo were mostly quiet as rain drizzled on and off throughout the morning, with several shops already having closed in anticipation of the storm, which was expected to become a Category 1 hurricane today.

Jewel Taylor, 22, who sells jewelry, hair clips and other items at Hilo Farmers Market seven days a week, said she was preparing to close her booth today, along with the rest of the market’s vendors, for only the second time she can remember. The other time was due to a tsunami warning in July 2025.

“Unless they close it, I’m here, but if they close it, I’m gone,” she said.

While the tsunami ended up causing only relatively minor damage, she said she was concerned about the potential impact of Lala and was taking precautions to prepare by filling up on gas and several days worth of food.

“I know it doesn’t seem really major right now, but just in case, you know, it never hurts to be safe,” Taylor said.

In other parts of town, parking lots at Home Depot, KTA Super Stores and Longs were bustling as people stocked up on supplies including propane tanks, bottled water and batteries.

Among those at Home Depot were Deborah and Dennis McEwan, visiting from Sacramento. Deborah said she had been planning to fly home today but her flight was postponed to Sunday due to the storm.

While both said it was the first hurricane they would be experiencing directly, Dennis said he was in Hilo in 2024 when Hurricane Hone passed southeast of the island.

“It didn’t produce the winds, as I remember, but there was a tremendous amount of rain,” he said. “I have never seen the Wailuku River as high as it was then.”

Jesse Vega, 48, of Kawaihae was in Hilo on Friday morning for an appointment and stopped at Longs on Kilauea Avenue to buy several cases of bottled water before making the drive home to prepare for the storm.

“Mostly, the basic stuff that they say: getting the house ready, taking things that might blow away,” he said. “In Kawaihae, they’re sort of saying that it’s more wind expected probably than rain.”

Amber Brooks, 37, was also at Longs stocking up on nonperishable goods for herself and her mother who lives in Laupahoehoe. She said she has been grateful for the information about the storm that has been provided by the county and the National Weather Service over the past few days.

“We received all the text messages 36 hours in advance about the weather conditions, and I think it’s been very well alerted,” she said.

Down at the Hilo Bayfront, as choppy waves crashed on the shore and palm trees blew in a light wind, Ira Kekaualua, who runs the Hui Wa’a O Waiakea canoe club, was at work securing the club’s outriggers.

While he opted to tie his canoes down with rope on their stands, other clubs further down the shore moved their outriggers across the road and up to higher ground.

“Those guys, they take theirs away because over there gets big waves…” he said. “We all take care of our own area, all the clubs, we all watch each other’s back.”

Kekaualua said he has been through many storms in Hilo over the years, but that he can feel a change as weather phenomena like El Nino – which contributes to hurricane activity in the Pacific – intensify.

“I’ve been here with all of them,” he said “But I don’t know … Mother Nature now is different.”