Kindergarten Teacher Found Dead After Destructive Storm. ‘She Was a Fixture in this Community,’ Former Student Says

Authorities in Hawaii announced that the body of a 93-year-old woman was discovered following Hurricane Lala that rocked the state.

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NEED TO KNOW

Hawaiian authorities said the body of May Doi, 93, was found on Aug. 17, one day after she was reported missing

While the cause and manner of Doi’s death have yet to be determined, police believe it may be related to Hurricane Lala

As residents are still recovering from the hurricane, officials are warning of another possible storm system

Authorities in Hawaii announced that the body of a 93-year-old woman was discovered following Hurricane Lala.

In a Tuesday, Aug. 18, news release, the Hawaii Police Department identified the victim as May Doi, who was found dead in the Ka‘ū District.

Officials said Doi was last seen on Aug. 14 at a home in the 95-1100 block of Maia Street in the Nāʻālehu town subdivision.

“Due to the extreme weather conditions associated with Hurricane Lala, Doi was reported missing to police on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 11 a.m. [local time],” the news release read.

After emergency responders and authorities launched a search for Doi, the woman was found deceased on Monday, Aug. 17 at 12:30 p.m. An investigation into Doi’s death is underway, police said, adding that no foul play is suspected and an autopsy is scheduled for later in the week.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, police believe her death may be related to the effects of Hurricane Lala and the extreme weather conditions associated with the storm,” the Hawaii Police said.

ʻĀina Akamu, a vice principal at a local school, told The Associated Press that Doi was a former elementary school teacher. He said neighbors believe she was fleeing from the floodwaters and attempting to get to a nearby shelter.

Akamu said Doi taught both him and his father during her decades-long career.

“She taught grandkids of her students,” Akamu told the AP. “She was a fixture in this community.”

Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty

He also said Doi was a beloved teacher and that her late husband taught math.

Doi’s death is one of two fatalities that authorities have attributed to the storm. Hawaii Police said on Tuesday they are investigating the death of an unidentified man in his 60 whose remains were discovered in a pasture off Highway 11 near the 63-mile marker in the Ka‘ū district.

Police had earlier initiated a welfare check for the man the day before and had unsuccessfully searched for him until area residents found the remains in the pasture. No foul play is currently suspected in that case.

Weather forecasters initially predicted the hurricane would be a Category 1 storm, but it later grew to a Category 3 event on Wednesday, Aug. 19, as it hit southern Hawaii, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, residents were still trying to clean up after Lala, which tore off roofs and uprooted trees, the AP reported. Now officials are warning that another storm system could hit areas already battered by the hurricane.

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“We gotta be extra prepared now, while we’re still in recovery. And that’s tough,” Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said, according to Hawaii News Now.

“We’re already very hypersensitive to the weather conditions. We’re very hypersensitive to the rain, especially floods and landslides and such. And so we are very concerned,” Alameda added.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green also cautioned residents about the threat of a new storm as recovery efforts are still ongoing in a Thursday, Aug. 19, social media post.

With the exception of the Ka‘ū District, which was one of the hardest hit areas in the storm, state and county offices, as well as public schools were expected to reopen on Wednesday, officials announced.

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As of Thursday, Aug. 20, there were over 16,000 customers in Hawaii without power, poweroutage.us reported.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii announced on Wednesday that the Transportation Department has approved an initial $6 million in emergency federal funds for the recovery after Lala.

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