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

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 328 words · By Reuters
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By Shariq Khan and Michelle Conlin Some 183,123 customers across Hawaii were without power as of 3:30 p.m.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 1
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left17%
Center66%
Right17%

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

What happened

By Shariq Khan and Michelle Conlin Some 183,123 customers across Hawaii were without power as of 3:30 p.m.

Why it matters

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.

Common ground

State officials received reports of at least 100 homes damaged, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Sunday.

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.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-17-more-than-180-000-without-pow…

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 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
info Single Source 2
schedule Pending 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
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Claim 1: “Video released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showed flood waters overtaking roads.”
CORROBORATED
The release of video by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showing floodwaters on roads is corroborated by CNBC, Newsweek, and other web search results.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Videos released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showed floodwaters overtaking roadways, while emergency officials reported extensive washouts in some of the hardest-hit areas.
https://www.newsweek.com/videos-hurricane-lala-wash-away-roa…
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web search NEUTRAL — Video released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showed floodwaters overtaking roads. Two homes were swept away, according to the National Weather Service.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/1030465/more-than-180-000-w…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Video released by the Hawaii Department of Transportation showed floodwaters overtaking roads. Authorities reported one dead in a car-related incident. Two homes were swept away, according to the Nati…
https://bdnews24.com/world/americas/19a47106a988
+ 1 more evidence source
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Claim 2: “State officials received reports of at least 100 homes damaged, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Sunday.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm Governor Josh Green's statement regarding at least 100 homes being damaged, including CNBC and several web search results.
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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)
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “State officials also urged residents to stay indoors after at least one person was reported dead in a car-related accident.”
CORROBORATED
The report of at least one death in a storm-related car accident is corroborated by CNBC and a web search result citing Governor Josh Green.
travel_explore
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 — Understanding Weather-Related Accidents. A weather accident refers to a car crash caused by severe conditions like rain, snow, sleet, hail, or fog. These accidents can lead to property damage, serious…
https://www.montlick.com/faq/whos-at-fault-in-a-weather-rela…
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…
+ 1 more evidence source
schedule
Claim 4: “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.
verified
Claim 5: “Some 183,123 customers across Hawaii were without power as of 3:30 p.m. HST (0130 GMT), according to poweroutage.us.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about the number 3, the company '3', and time zones in Hawaii. No evidence was provided that confirms the specific power outage number (183,123) or the specific time (3:30 p.m. HST).
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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 6: “Hawaiian Electric had warned customers on Saturday evening that repair efforts were being hampered as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and rain flooded roadways.”
CORROBORATED
The claim that Hawaiian Electric warned customers about repair efforts being hampered by winds and flooding is reported by both CNBC and Al Jazeera.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Hawaiian Electric warned customers on Saturday evening that hurricane-force winds and rain hampered repair efforts, citing flooded roadways and downed trees. Three hospitals had already switched to ge…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/16/hurricane-lala-weak…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Lowell is expected to remain a major hurricane through Monday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles. The st…
https://weatherboy.com/hurricane-warning-up-as-hawaii-braces…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Hurricane Lala brought damaging winds, heavy rain, and power outages to Hawaii Island, forcing road closures and prompting officials to open shelters.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/08/16/hurricane-lala-lash…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 7: “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.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is present in the CNBC cross-reference, but the provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing Bolivia), and Wikipedia entries are about other hurricanes. No independent corroboration was found in the provided evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Iniki ( ee-NEE-kee; Hawaiian: ʻiniki meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike Hawaii in recorded history, and the only hurricane to directly affect the s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Iniki
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Iwa, taken from the Hawaiian language name for the frigatebird (ʻiwa, lit. "Thief"), was at the time the costliest hurricane to affect the state of Hawaii. Iwa was the twenty-third tropical …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Iwa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hurricane Lowell is a currently active tropical cyclone that recently impacted the western Hawaiian Islands. The fourteenth named storm, fifth hurricane, fourth major hurricane, and second Category 5 …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Lowell_(2026)
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “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 Storm Lala's position, speed (20 mph), and wind speed (65 mph) at 2 p.m. HST are reported by both CNBC and a web search result.
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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…
+ 4 more evidence sources
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Claim 9: “Two homes were swept away, according to the National Weather Service.”
CORROBORATED
The report that two homes were swept away according to the National Weather Service is corroborated by CNBC and multiple web search results.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Two homes were swept away, according to the National Weather Service.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/16/hurricane-lala-leaves-thousa…
info
Claim 10: “About 117 people were in shelters as of Sunday morning, officials said.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific number of people in shelters (117) is only mentioned in the CNBC cross-reference; no other provided evidence corroborates this specific figure.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — About 117 people were in shelters as of Sunday morning, officials said.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/16/hurricane-lala-leaves-thousa…
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Claim 11: “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
The claim is reported by both CNBC and a web search result ('More than 200,000 without power in Hawaii...'), confirming the decrease in Oahu outages from over 220,000 to around 130,000 by Sunday morning.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Honolulu County (Hawaiian: Kalana ʻo Honolulu), officially known as the City and County of Honolulu and formerly as Oʻahu County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Hawaii, one of five…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honolulu_County,_Hawaii
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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)
+ 4 more evidence sources
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.