Our Work / Archived Programs / Hawaii Relief – Tropical Storm Lane
Satellite image showing a powerful hurricane approaching Hawaii, with the storm’s eye clearly visible near Hilo and Honolulu marked on the map.

Hawaii

Hawaii Relief – Tropical Storm Lane

August 2018 – September 2018

AHAH launched a rapid response effort following Tropical Storm Lane in Hawaii, addressing flooding impacts through cleanup and emergency repair work.

Disaster Profile

Severe Flooding and Infrastructure Damage Across the Big Island

The state of Hawaii braced itself for widespread flooding as Hurricane Lane poured tremendous rainfall over the Big Island. Lane initially made landfall on August 23rd as a category 5 Hurricane, but was downgraded to a tropical storm by August 24th.

44 inches of rain poured over the lands at a rate of 5 inches per hour in some areas.  Critical infrastructures were impacted by multiple landslides and debris, making roads extremely hazardous. The mountainous geology of the islands posed a great risk for additional landslides and mudslides to occur

Our Response

Coordinating With Partners to Assist Communities Affected by Tropical Storm Lane

Our Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART), which included chainsaw, and muck & gut specialists, headed to affected areas to assess the needs of the communities. Our teams worked closely with the Hawaii Voluntary Organizations Active In Disaster (HIVOAD) and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency Voluntary Agency Liason (FEMA VAL), in order to effectively respond to Tropical Storm Lane.

While operating two field teams, we continued performing assessments across the island to identify areas of need.

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