Having grown up in Florida, Joe La Mariana was familiar with the hazards of a hurricane. But when the Bay Area resident looked out his hotel window on Saturday as Hurricane Lala turned deadly in parts of Hawaii, La Mariana was shocked to see some tourists outside playing amid the Category 1 storm.
“The pool was open while the winds were whipping around. There were families with kids. It was wild to see that as a parent and grandparent. I know that a hurricane’s biggest danger is things falling,” he said. “It was frightening … bonehead tourists were going out doing stupid stuff in the wind.”
Hurricane Lala walloped parts of Hawaii over the weekend, in particular the Big Island and Maui. At least one person died during the storm — a 45-year-old man was killed in a car accident on the Big Island on Saturday — while numerous homes and businesses suffered critical damage. The tropical storm hit Saturday with torrential downpour lasting into Sunday. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s historical database, Lala was only the fifth hurricane to pass within 70 miles of the Big Island since the 1950s.
La Mariana, a resident of Burlingame, visited Maui for a wedding and stayed at the Westin Maui Resort and Spa, Ka’anapali in Lahaina. He said the event was scheduled for Saturday but was swiftly moved to Friday to beat the storm. “The wedding was clear skies and blazing hot,” he said. “It was beautiful, unless you were sitting in the sun in a tux.”…