By the authority vested in me as the Mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi by the Constitution and laws of the State of Hawaiʻi, and by the Charter and ordinances of the County of Hawaiʻi, to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters, I, C. KIMO ALAMEDA, Mayor of the County of Hawaiʻi, hereby proclaim as follows:

WHEREAS, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 127A, provides for the establishment of County of Hawaiʻi (County) organizations for emergency management with the Mayor having direct responsibility and authority over emergency management within the County; and

WHEREAS, HRS Chapter 127A, and Hawai‘i County Code (HCC) Chapter 7, establish a Civil Defense Agency within the County and prescribe its powers, duties, and responsibilities; and

WHEREAS, HRS § 127A-14(b) empowers the Mayor to declare the existence of a local state of emergency in the County by proclamation if the Mayor finds that an emergency or a disaster has occurred or that there is imminent danger or threat of an emergency or a disaster in any portion of the County, as those terms are defined in HRS § 127A-2; and

WHEREAS, the Charter of the County of Hawaiʻi (CCH) § 13-23 and HCC § 7-1-7(a) also empower the Mayor to declare a state of disaster or emergency by proclamation; and

WHEREAS, at 5:00 a.m. Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST) on Friday, August 14, 2026, the National Weather Service (NWS) Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued Tropical Storm Lala Advisory Number 9, reporting that Tropical Storm Lala (Lala) was centered approximately four hundred twenty (420) miles east-southeast of Hilo with maximum sustained winds near sixty (60) miles per hour, and forecasting that Lala will strengthen into a hurricane as it approaches Hawaiʻi Island on Saturday, August 15, 2026; and

WHEREAS, a Hurricane Warning issued by the NWS is in effect for the County, meaning that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the County; a Flood Watch is in effect for the County from Friday evening, August 14, 2026, through late Saturday night, August 15, 2026; and a High Surf Warning is in effect for east-facing shores of the County from 6:00 p.m. Friday, August 14, 2026, to 6:00 a.m. Sunday, August 16, 2026; and

WHEREAS, the NWS advises that hurricane conditions are expected in the County on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with potential winds of seventy-four (74) to one hundred ten (110) miles per hour continuing until early Sunday morning, August 16, 2026; rainfall totals of eight (8) to twelve (12) inches across the County, with ten (10) to fifteen (15) inches over windward areas and localized maximum totals of up to twenty-five (25) inches possible; storm surge flooding of one (1) to three (3) feet above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide, accompanied by large and dangerous waves along the coast; swells reaching east-facing shores on Friday and building through the weekend, with surf increasing from eight (8) to twelve (12) feet Friday night to fifteen (15) to twenty (20) feet on Saturday; potential for a few tornadoes; and near-critical to critical fire weather in dry leeward areas on Friday; and

WHEREAS, these conditions pose an imminent threat of injury or loss of life and of substantial damage to public and private property throughout the County, and the NWS advises that the winds may cause considerable damage, downed trees and power lines, and power and communications disruptions, leaving locations uninhabitable for weeks; that the rainfall may cause major flooding and mudslides, with road and bridge closures and impassable access routes isolating communities; that the surge and swells may flood coastal areas, cause life-threatening surf and rip currents, and make channel entrances dangerous; that tornadoes may damage structures and vehicles; and that critical fire weather may contribute to wildfire in dry leeward areas; and

WHEREAS, on August 13, 2026, the Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi issued the Proclamation Relating to Tropical Storm Lala declaring a state of emergency for the entire State under HRS § 127A-14(a); and

WHEREAS, the forecasted scope and severity of Lala’s impact across the County is such that preparation, response, and recovery may exceed the capabilities of the County acting alone, and may require assistance from other counties, the State, the federal government, or private entities; and

WHEREAS, the invocation and exercise of emergency powers as stated herein are reasonably necessary for the County to expeditiously and effectively prepare for, respond to, and recover from Lala’s forecasted impacts, and to otherwise protect the lives, property, environment, public health, welfare, and safety of the County, its residents, visitors, and businesses;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, C. KIMO ALAMEDA, Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i, hereby declare that a local state of emergency exists under HRS § 127A-14(b), CCH § 13-23, and HCC § 7-1-7(a), because Tropical Storm Lala poses an imminent danger or threat of an emergency or disaster to the County of Hawaiʻi; and

I FURTHER DECLARE that based on the conditions described above, the following measures are reasonably necessary to address the emergency or disaster:

1. Invocation of Laws.Pursuant to HRS § 127A-12(c)(17), the Mayor may take any and all steps necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of HRS Chapter 127A, including the additional powers in HRS § 127A-13(b) which may only be exercised during an emergency period.I hereby authorize and invoke the following powers related to emergency management, if not already in effect:
1. HRS §§ 127A-12(a)(5), 127A-13(b)(3), 127A-13(b)(4), and HCC §§ 7-1-7(d)(2) and 7-1-7(d)(4).I authorize and direct the Administrator of the County’s Civil Defense Agency, or his designee, to take appropriate actions to direct or control the following, as may be necessary for emergency management:
   1. Alerts, warnings, notifications, activations;
   2. Warnings and signals for alerts, and any type of warning device, system, or method to be used in connection therewith;
   3. Partial or full mobilization of personnel, in advance of, or in response to, an actual emergency or disaster;
   4. The conduct of civilians and the movement and cessation of movement of pedestrians and vehicular traffic during, before, and after alerts, emergencies, or disasters;
   5. Shut off water mains, gas mains, or electric power connections, or suspend other services; and
   6. The mandatory evacuation of the civilian population.
2. HRS § 127A-12(c)(3).I authorize the Administrator of the County’s Civil Defense Agency to take possession of, use, manage, control, and reallocate any public property of the County, real or personal, including parks, playgrounds, and other public buildings, as required for the purposes of HRS Chapter 127A, including for use as emergency shelters for persons evacuated or displaced by Lala and as staging sites for emergency response personnel, equipment, and supplies.
3. HRS § 127A-12(c)(4).I authorize the utilization of the services, materials, and facilities of nongovernmental agencies, relief organizations, community associations, and other private-sector and nonprofit organizations that may be made available to assist in emergency response and recovery.However, nothing in this invocation of HRS § 127A-12(c)(4) shall be construed as acceptance, by the Mayor or any other authorized County personnel, of the services of any individual person as a volunteer for the County under HRS § 127A-8.For purposes of HRS § 127A-8(c), the services of an individual person may be accepted as a volunteer for the County only by the Mayor or the Administrator of the County’s Civil Defense Agency, or his designee, and only upon express approval given in advance, on a case-by-case basis, and documented in writing.
4. HRS § 127A-12(c)(5).I authorize the receipt, expenditure, and use of contributions or grants, in money, property, or services, or loans of property, and the procurement of federal aid, as may be available for the purposes of HRS Chapter 127A, including assistance available through the State and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
5. HRS § 127A-12(c)(6).I authorize the purchase, rental, lease, transport, storage, installation, maintenance, repair, and distribution of materials and facilities for emergency management, and the procurement of federal aid therefor whenever feasible.I further find that, to the extent that emergency procurement under HRS § 103D-307 or another available procurement method is not feasible in the time and under the conditions presented by Lala, HRS Chapter 103D and HRS §§ 103-50, 103-53, 103-55, 105-1 to 105-10, and 464-4 impede or tend to impede the expeditious discharge of the County’s emergency management functions, and that compliance therewith is impracticable due to existing conditions; and those provisions shall accordingly not apply to those emergency management functions to that extent.This paragraph does not relieve the County of any procurement standard applicable to federally funded work.
6. HRS § 127A-12(c)(11).Each public utility, or any person owning, controlling, or operating a critical infrastructure facility, is hereby required to protect and safeguard the public utility’s or the person’s property, or to provide for such protection and safeguarding; and provide for the protection and safeguarding of all critical infrastructure and key resources; provided that the protection and safeguarding may include the regulation or prohibition of public entry thereon, or the permission of the entry upon terms and conditions as I may prescribe.
7. HRS § 127A-12(c)(12).I authorize the Administrator of the County’s Civil Defense Agency, or his designee, to restrict the congregation of the public in stricken or dangerous areas or under dangerous conditions, including beaches, shorelines, coastal areas, streams and drainageways, low-lying and flood-prone areas, and areas in or surrounding storm-damaged structures, that are determined to pose a risk of injury or loss of life due to Lala.
8. HRS § 127A-12(c)(13).I authorize the Administrator of the County’s Civil Defense Agency to direct and control the non-compulsory evacuation of the civilian population from coastal, low-lying, flood-prone, or other threatened areas in advance of and during Lala, which may precede any mandatory evacuation issued under HRS § 127A-13(b)(4).
9. HRS § 127A-12(c)(14), CCH § 13-21, and HCC § 7-1-6(a).I direct all County agencies and officers to cooperate with and extend their services, materials, and facilities as may be necessary to address the emergency or disaster.
10. HRS § 127A-12(c)(15).I authorize the County to provide for the repair and maintenance of public property whenever adequate provision therefor is not otherwise made and to make temporary restoration of public utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities affected by Lala, including the emergency clearance of debris from public roads and other public property and the emergency repair of any County facility determined to require repair as a result of Lala.
11. I direct the Director of Finance to administer the disaster and emergency fund in accordance with CCH § 10-17, and to establish fund accounts in the County treasury as necessary for the deposit and expenditure of monetary contributions received pursuant to HRS § 127A-12(c)(5).Such contributions or grants are deemed to be appropriated for the purposes of HRS Chapter 127A, or for the special purposes contemplated therein.

I FURTHER DECLARE that this Emergency Proclamation Relating to Tropical Storm Lala shall terminate automatically sixty (60) days after its issuance, unless extended or terminated by a separate or supplementary proclamation, in accordance with HRS §§ 127A-14(c) and (d).