A social media post has kicked up a storm.
Hurricane Lala has swept through Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, causing massive amounts of damage and leaving thousands without power.
In an X post from AccuWeather, the weather forecasting company set the internet ablaze with before and after of the stunning waterfall at Rainbow Falls after Hawaii’s Hurricane Lala. The social media post showed a split screen photo with the top half featuring the beautiful waterfall before the storm.
But it was the bottom half of the video that showcased a downpour. X users were stunned to see water gushing out from the once-semi calm Rainbow Falls — an 80-foot tall waterfall tourists flood the town to see.
The popular weather app said on the post, “Rainbow Falls in Hilo, Hawaii, is roaring as Hurricane Lala brought torrential rain this weekend.” Folks flocked to the comments section — as some vacationers visited the sight not long before the relentless rain.
“Holy crap! We visited Rainbow Falls last Sept. In fact Hurricane Kiko was expected to hit Honolulu [the] day we were scheduled to fly home. Luckily it turned north at the last minute,” one user wrote. The poster added a picture from their visit revealing a much calmer cascade.
The hurricane — which was recently downgraded to a tropical storm — started on August 12 and has ravaged Hawaii leaving tens of thousands without power and damaging over 100 homes along its path.
Over 113,000 customers are still out of power according to Poweroutage.com. Restoration may takes days as transmission lines down, according to Kimo Alameda, Mayor of Hawaii County. At least one person was killed in a storm-related car crash.
According to the state, Lala is currently located “about 315 miles west-southwest of Līʻhue with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour.” The storm is now moving west at a still sweeping 12 miles per hour.
All tropical storm warnings and flood watches have been cancelled for Hawaii while Brown Water Advisories — an alert of murky water — are in effect statewide due to storm runoff. The state is urging residents to be careful of the water as runoff sweeps in pollutants like animal waste, chemicals, pesticides and overflowing sewage.
Lala may have left the city, but downed power lines and massive flooding were left in its wake and are highly dangerous to be around.
“People should use extreme caution in damaged areas as numerous safety hazards exist including dangerous debris, contamination risks and electrical hazards. HIEMA recommends you sign up for emergency alerts in your area at: ready.hawaii.gov/alerts,” the government website reads.
Hawaii Gov., Josh Green, announced that all state and county government offices and public schools are closed for today.
“City crews will continue working throughout Sunday night and Monday to assess storm damage, remove fallen trees and debris, address flooding and drainage issues, reopen roadways and facilities, and respond to other storm-related hazards,” according to a press release.
The statement said folks should anticipate resuming normal government operations on Tuesday, August 18.
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