Kaua‘i, Just Don’t Go — For Now

A Hawaiʻi National Guard soldier assesses piles of shattered trees and storm wreckage scattered across Kapaʻa, Kauaʻi. Photo by Staff Sgt. Randall Corpuz / U.S. Army National Guard.

September 11 is an important anniversary nationally, but on Kaua‘i it’s also the anniversary of Iniki’s destruction 34 years ago. The Pacific is vast, and Hawai‘i, relative to it, is incredibly tiny. That has historically sheltered the archipelago from hurricane and tropical storms’ impacts. 2026 has been a difficult year to date in Hawai‘i as residents grapple with named storms and smaller storms alike. Hawai‘i’s — and the Pacific’s — energy is powerful; and it is changing as the world’s climate continues to heat.

At 11:35 p.m. on September 7, Labor Day, Hurricane Lowell reached a wind speed of 92 miles per hour at Kokeʻe State Park on the west side of Kaua‘i. By the morning of the eighth, life was upended for a majority of Kaua‘i’s 73,000 or so residents.

On September 13, the “Star-Advertiser” reported that as many as 90 percent of Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative’s customers were without power. Out of that, approximately 76 percent has been restored, thanks to a small army of Hawaiian Electric line crews, along with crews and vehicles from Southern California, who arrived on Kaua‘i on September 11, to assist local line workers with getting the island’s power back on. Restoring power for many areas of the island has hinged on accessibility, as there are roads that are simply impassable due to Lowell’s fury.

“Most of the 8,400 [Kauaʻi Island Utility cooperative] members still without power are located on the north shore between Moloaa and Haena, and there are also scattered pocket outages from Anahola to Kekaha, as well as Kokee,” “Star-Advertiser” reported.

The CEO of Kaua‘i’s electrical utility told the “Star-Advertiser” that he “definitely” didn’t think power would be out for a month or more, as after 1992’s Hurricane Iniki, though parts of Kaua‘i’s north shore may be without power for a few weeks.

Lowell has been the second ruinous storm to impact the Hawaiian archipelago this summer and the third this year — the first being the billion-dollar disaster of April’s Kona low storms on O‘ahu. As of Friday, September 11, the National Hurricane Center is tracking Disturbance 1 heading west on a so-far southern latitudinal trajectory, with a 20 percent chance of becoming a named cyclone in the next seven days. Behind that, also heading west is Norbert, a tropical storm with 55-mile-per-hour sustained winds. Both are traveling toward Hawai‘i over a super-heated Pacific due to the influences of a record-breaking El Niño cycle forming amidst global warming-raised ocean temperatures.

This all might raise the question, should you visit Kaua‘i today, or in the near future?

The answer, for now, is no. Visiting Kaua‘i should not be entering any vacation planning discussions today. Hawai‘i, a vacationer’s paradise, isn’t any different from any place else in the U.S. in the aftermath of a natural disaster. After Lowell, hardship is a reality for many living on Kaua‘i. People are suffering; some have lost everything. Simple tasks like washing dishes, bathing and eating are a struggle. Backyard fruit trees are uprooted, fishing spots submerged in mud, landmark buildings damaged or destroyed. Electricity and access are one thing, and important in deciding the practical realities of traveling to vacation destinations impacted by a disaster, but they are not the most important issue in play.

Most visitors already on island are sympathetic and compassionate, but an Instagram post by Mahealani Chandel shows this isn’t always the case. The news segment shared in the post reports visitors coming to the small North Shore town of Wainiha, where residents are having to wash their clothes and dishes in the river, to sightsee and play in the water. One resident said there were tourists taking photos and videos. One asked her for beach recommendations.

In Hawai‘i’s hours of need, it’s possible that vacation plans should be considered, reevaluated and relocated. According to the “Star-Advertiser,” the Kauaʻi Police Department is advising the public to travel the roads only when necessary and to postpone nonessential trips, including sightseeing and driving to view storm damage.”

Nawiliwili Harbor is currently closed for cruise ships. Several hotels on Kaua‘i are closed, including the Sheraton Coconut Beach Resort, 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, Hanalei Bay Resort, the Royal Sonesta and Sheraton Kauai Resort, whose restaurant was destroyed, pool was nearly entirely filled with sand and flooded throughout. Check hotels’ Instagram pages to see what their most recent status might be. They are being updated often.

This doesn’t mean visitors should stay away from Hawaiʻi entirely. There are many places across the archipelago that have not been affected by the year’s tumultuous, deadly weather, and they are still full of energy, beauty and wonder. Travel responsibly and enjoy Hawai‘i on its own terms, not those of your imaginings. Unexpected rewards are here to be found.

*Keep tabs on travel conditions on Kaua‘i by checking the county’s website, hotel and resort Instagram accounts, reliable Facebook accounts and talking to those few travel agents still out there in the world. At press time no Kaua‘i officials were available for comment.