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More than 180,000 without power in Hawaii, 100 homes damaged as Lala weakens to tropical storm

Cnbc · · 328 words · By Reuters
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What to know about Natural Disaster Impact

More than 180,000 utility customers remained without power across Hawaii on Sunday afternoon after Hurricane Lala brushed the Big Island before being downgraded to a tropical storm.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left11%
Center78%
Right11%

9 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

More than 180,000 utility customers remained without power across Hawaii on Sunday afternoon after Hurricane Lala brushed the Big Island before being downgraded to a tropical storm.

Why it matters

Some 183,123 customers across Hawaii were without power as of 3:30 p.m.

Common ground

HST (0130 GMT), according to poweroutage.us.Outages in Oahu, the most populated island, had dropped from more than 220,000 to about 130,000 as of Sunday morning, state officials said during a press conference.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/16/hurricane-lala-leaves-thousands-without-power-in…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
info Single Source 1
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Claim 1: “More than 180,000 utility customers remained without power across Hawaii on Sunday afternoon after Hurricane Lala brushed the Big Island before being downgraded to a tropical storm.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm Hurricane Lala hit the Big Island and caused widespread power outages. One source specifically mentions 'More than 180,000 without power in Hawaii'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Pacific typhoon season is an ongoing event in the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation in the western Pacific Ocean. The season runs throughout 2026, although most tropical cyclones typ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Pacific_typhoon_season
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Lala was the first hurricane to directly hit the Big Island since an unnamed hurricane in 1871 and the third-wettest tropical cyclone to affect the U.S. state of Hawaii on record. The ninth …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Lala
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 2: “Video released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showed flood waters overtaking roads.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding video released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
info
Claim 3: “Hawaiian Electric had warned customers on Saturday evening that repair efforts were being hampered as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and rain flooded roadways.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While Hawaiian Electric is confirmed to have performed repairs after Hurricane Lala, the specific warning issued on Saturday evening regarding trees and floods is not explicitly corroborated by a second independent source in the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — Trees fell on houses, blocked roads and downed power lines in Western New York. Wind gusts of 76 mph slammed Seneca Falls; in nearby Penn Yan, the gusts reached 60 mph. Hail as big as a silver dollar …
https://www.newyorkupstate.com/weather/2026/09/severe-storms…
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web search NEUTRAL — (BIVN) – Hawaiian Electric has restored power “to all customers who can be restored” following the widespread damaged caused earlier this month by Hurricane Lala. The task was completed one week ahead…
https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2026/08/31/hawaiian-elect…
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web search NEUTRAL — A flood watch is issued when conditions are favorable for flooding. It doesn't guarantee that flooding will occur, but it signifies that the possibility exists. Navigating floods: weather service floo…
https://www.al.com/weather-alerts/2024/09/flood-warning-issu…
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Claim 4: “A tropical storm warning remained in effect for Kauai county, although those warnings for Maui and Oahu counties were discontinued earlier on Sunday, according to the hurricane center.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that the National Hurricane Center discontinued warnings for Maui and Oahu while maintaining them for Kauai on Sunday.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tropical storm warnings were discontinued Sunday afternoon for Maui County and Oahu, leaving Kauai County as the only area still under a warning, according to the National Hurricane Center.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/hurricane-l…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Watches and Warnings. The National Hurricane Center discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning for Kauai County Sunday evening. Flood alerts remain in localized areas.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/08/17/tropical-storm-lala…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The National Hurricane Center had discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning for Kauai County by that update but Flood Watches and surf advisories remained. Current hazards and short-term forecast.
https://www.orbitalaffairs.com/tropical-storm-lala-hawaii-20…
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Claim 5: “State officials received reports of at least 100 homes damaged, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Sunday.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources confirm Governor Josh Green's report that at least 100 homes were damaged.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anne E. Lopez (born 1962 or 1963) is an American attorney and politician. She has served as Attorney General of Hawaii since December 5, 2022. Prior to her appointment by Governor Josh Green, Lopez wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_E._Lopez
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The attorney general of Hawaii (Hawaiian: Loio Kuhina) is the chief legal officer and chief law enforcement officer of Hawaii. In present-day statehood within the United States, the attorney general i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Attorney_General
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hawaii Five-0 is an American police procedural drama television series developed for CBS by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Peter M. Lenkov. It is a reboot of the 1968–1980 series (the original series…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Five-0_(2010_TV_series)
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 6: “Two homes were swept away, according to the National Weather Service.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding the National Weather Service reporting two homes swept away.
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Claim 7: “Some 183,123 customers across Hawaii were without power as of 3:30 p.m. HST (0130 GMT), according to poweroutage.us.”
CORROBORATED
The specific figure of 183,123 customers without power as of 3:30 p.m. HST is explicitly reported in the search results citing poweroutage.us.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — HST-2, formerly named USNS Puerto Rico and Alakai, is a vessel owned by the United States Navy Military Sealift Command. She was originally Hawaii Superferry's first high-speed ferry. The vessel was l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HST-2
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone observes Hawaii–Aleutian Standard Time (HST) by subtracting ten hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC−10:00). The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii–Aleutian_Time_Zone
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hawaii is in the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone (HST; UTC−10:00) and does not observe daylight saving time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Hawaii
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “Outages in Oahu, the most populated island, had dropped from more than 220,000 to about 130,000 as of Sunday morning, state officials said during a press conference.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources confirm the drop in Oahu outages from over 220,000 to approximately 130,000 by Sunday morning.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Lala was the first hurricane to directly hit the Big Island since an unnamed hurricane in 1871 and the third-wettest tropical cyclone to affect the U.S. state of Hawaii on record. The ninth …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Lala
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The North Shore of the Oʻahu is a coastal area between Kaʻena Point and Kahuku. Its largest town is Haleʻiwa. This area is best known for its massive waves, attracting big wave surfers from all around…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Shore_(Oʻahu)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — TheBus is the public bus transportation service on the island of Oʻahu, Hawai'i, in the United States. In 2025, TheBus had a ridership of 43,655,700, or about 142,900 per weekday, and its fleet compri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheBus_(Honolulu)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “State officials also urged residents to stay indoors after at least one person was reported dead in a car-related accident.”
CORROBORATED
Evidence confirms that Governor Josh Green reported at least one person killed in a storm-related car accident.
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web search NEUTRAL — At least one person was killed in a storm-related car accident, according to an update from Governor Josh Green.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/least-one-k…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — According to a Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, at least four Ohioans died and multiple others were injured in weather-related car accidents last week. Columbus was hit with winter weather that became a lev…
https://614now.com/2022/hot-topics/news/multiple-people-kill…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — At least 12 people died in Florida related to circumstances brought by Hurricane Irma, including two each in Hillsborough and Orange counties, Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/hurricane/2017/09/12/…
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Claim 10: “At 2 p.m. HST (0000 GMT) Lala was moving west toward southwest Kauai County at about 20 mph (31 kph) with maximum sustained winds near 65 mph, just below the hurricane threshold of 73 mph, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.”
CORROBORATED
The specific details regarding the time (2 p.m. HST), location (southwest Kauai County), speed (31km/h / 20mph), and wind speed (105km/h / 65mph) are corroborated by search results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Kilo, also referred to as Typhoon Kilo, was a powerful and long-lived tropical cyclone that traveled more than 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) from its formation point southeast of the Hawaii…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Kilo
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Walaka was a powerful tropical cyclone that brought high surf and a storm surge to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Walaka was the nineteenth named storm, twelfth hurricane, eighth major h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Walaka
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Pacific hurricane season is the current iteration of the annual cycle of tropical cyclone formation over the Pacific Ocean north of the equator and east of the International Date Line (IDL). …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2026_Pacific_h…
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 11: “About 117 people were in shelters as of Sunday morning, officials said.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 12: “The Hawaii Department of Transportation said that all airports have been reopened”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.