Hurricane Lowell knocks out a port in Hawaii that is one island’s main source for food and fuel

Crews began repairing the only cargo port on one of Hawaii’s smallest main islands while power was being restored to another island on Thursday, two days after Hurricane Lowell skirted along the state’s western edge. At least two deaths were linked to the storm.

On the island of Kauai, intense wind and surging waves damaged oceanfront resorts, ripped apart roads and knocked out power, prompting tourism officials to urge visitors to stay away temporarily. On Lanai, a harbour that supplies much of the food and fuel to its 3,300 residents was inoperable and will take about two weeks to repair, state officials said.

The overall destruction to Hawaii’s infrastructure, businesses and homes was expected to be the worst from a storm since Hurricane Iniki, a category 4 storm that walloped Kauai in 1992 and caused $3bn (R48.41bn) in damage.

While it has been a relatively quiet Atlantic hurricane season, there have been four hurricanes in the Pacific since the beginning of August. Another tropical storm formed Thursday, but it was not expected to make landfall.

Officials urged travellers to reschedule trips to Kauai or shift their destination to another island. Thousands of customers, including some resorts, remained without power, and crews continued clearing roads of downed trees and toppled utility poles.

“Adjusting your itinerary allows you to continue your Hawaii vacation while supporting the state’s broader visitor economy as Kauai recovers,” Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said.

Kauai sees only a small fraction of Hawaii’s almost 10-million visitors each year, but tourism is its top economic driver, with people coming from all over to take in its tropical landscapes, waterfalls and dramatic cliffs. Local estimates say tourism accounts for four out of every 10 jobs on the island.

The hurricane’s powerful storm surge buckled and washed away roads, knocked down the walls of homes and flooded resorts, sending rapids through a hotel lobby, overturning furniture and leaving debris everywhere. Extensive lines backed up at Kauai’s primary airport on Thursday as people tried to leave the island.

Despite running a restaurant business, Kelly Kakalia, co-owner of The Musubi Truck, with three locations across Kauai, said she is not overly worried about the interruption to tourism.

“I would be silly to say tourism doesn’t drive our economy,” she said, but “our island needs time to rest and rebuild and make sure locals have power and water” before welcoming back tourists.

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

“We cannot wait for every damaged road, utility pole, harbour and public facility to be assigned a dollar value before asking the federal government to act,” Green said in making the request.

At Lanai’s main harbour, the storm opened a sinkhole, damaged part of the pier and scattered containers in the water, according to the state’s transportation department.

Planning was under way on other options to get supplies to the island, which sees only a few visitors.