Hawaii's governor, Josh Green, reported that the cyclone's passage caused flooding of up to 33 centimetres of rainfall and power cuts affecting 60,000 homes. The blackout also affected three hospitals, although Green clarified that they remain operational through emergency generators. The governor declared a state of emergency on Thursday.
Lala intensified into a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday, with winds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. The eye of the cyclone grazed the southern part of the Big Island during the afternoon without making landfall, when officials indicated that the hurricane "appears to have reached its peak intensity".
Heavy rains and strong winds battered this Pacific island state from Saturday onwards. Authorities warned of potentially dangerous flooding. A tropical storm warning was issued for the seven other main islands of the archipelago: Maui, Molokai, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau.
The Big Island, the second most populated in the archipelago with 210,000 inhabitants, was the most impacted by the phenomenon. Oahu, the most populated, has more than one million people.