Hurricane Lowell battered Hawaii’s western islands and is linked to at least 2 deaths

HONOLULU (AP) — Hurricane Lowell’s intense winds and storm surge that battered Hawaii’s western islands this week are suspected in the deaths of at least two people.

On the island of Kauai, the storm damaged oceanfront resorts while on Lanai, a cargo port where much of the island’s food and supplies arrive was inoperable, the state’s governor said.

Lowell brushed by the islands in the overnight hours Tuesday with damaging winds that extended well beyond the hurricane’s center, which stayed offshore.

First responders on Kauai’s south end found the body of a 74-year-old man on Wednesday near the shoreline. Authorities believe his death was related to the storm surge, police said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said another man was killed on Oahu when a large tree fell on his tent Monday during the storm. The man was homeless and living in a park, he said.

Green on Wednesday asked President Donald Trump to issue a major disaster declaration to expedite federal help for Kauai and Maui counties.

Lowell has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and continues to move westward over open water.

New storm forms in the Pacific

Tropical Storm Norbert formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean and wasn’t threatening land, forecasters said.

The storm was about 685 miles (1,102 kilometers) southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (64 kph) and was moving west.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, the center said. Some gradual strengthening was forecast over the coming days.