Man killed by falling tree as Hurricane Lowell passes

HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) - A man died in Waimānalo after a large tree trunk fell on him as Hurricane Lowell passed by the islands of Hawaii.

Police responded to Sherwood Beach at around 8:35 p.m. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the victim was living in a tent at the park.

“That individual was a homeless individual living in a tent, and a tree fell on him,” Green said. “We’re doing what we can to recover, but this was a very serious storm.”

The Honolulu Police Department classified the incident as an unattended death and said foul play was not suspected.

Hurricane Lowell passed just west of the islands during the overnight hours Tuesday, bringing damaging tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain to Oʻahu.

On O’ahu, road crews were clearing sand and rocks from a major route along the island’s western edge after floodwaters topped a coastal highway, north of Honolulu.

Fierce winds downed trees and caused widespread power outages on the island of Kauai, home to 73,000 residents. The Kauai Island Utility Cooperative reported that nearly all of its roughly 35,000 members were without power early Tuesday.

About 300 people were staying in shelters on Kauai.

Flooding and mudslides continue to be a risk after the hurricane and tropical storm warnings ended for the islands.

Lowell weakened Tuesday and is no longer considered a hurricane. The storm is expected to continue weakening in the upcoming days.