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A strong Kona storm has slammed the Hawaiian islands, knocking power out to around 100,000 people. This is down from the 132,000 that was reported yesterday by poweroutage.us.

It was expected some would remain without power overnight due to the storm, and that was the reality for many. A strong Kona storm is brewing in Hawaii with heavy rain, strong winds, and even blizzard conditions on the volcanic peaks, all expected through the weekend.

(MORE:Kona Storm Forecast)

East Honolulu gets its power from Windward Oahu through transmission lines that run along the Ko'olau mountains near Waimanalo, then cross over the ridgeline. Two of those lines already went down earlier from the storm. That left one line holding up the whole area. Then, around 5:50 p.m., the weather took out that last line. Thankfully, crews figured out the issue and restored power to over 29,000 customers in parts of East Honolulu and Waikiki by late in the evening.

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Hawaii Gov. Josh Green issued anemergency proclamationahead of the storm on Monday, and flash flood warnings remain in effect.

"Our priority is keeping the people of Hawaii safe," Green said in a news release. "By issuing this emergency proclamation now, we are ensuring that state and county agencies have the resources and flexibility needed to respond quickly to flooding, severe weather and any impacts this storm may bring."

Around 30 inches of rain has fallen around the highest summits of Maui.

Heavy rainfall continues to cause flooding and road closures across multiple islands. Even as rainfall has eased on some islands, residents are still urged to be cautious due to flooding and road closures.

A partial government shutdown.A war in Iran. Warnings about sleeper cells. And in the middle of it all:Americans left to wonder if their travel plans are safe.

Those concerns were echoed in part by former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who toldCNBCthe nation is operating in a "heightened security threat environment because of the fact that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism."

Meanwhile,Transportation Security Administrationofficers charged with screening airline passengers for security threats are working without pay − another potential worry for air travel security.

Johnson didn't say travelers actually are at a higher risk. But he is among experts raising a number of concerns, including "lone actors inspired by terrorist organizations."

Travel news:Why traveler anxiety is 'up a notch' this spring break season

Though the potential targets are not limited to air travel and some experts say the risk to aviation remains low, Johnson said threats could come at a time when TSA is under "a tremendous amount of stress."

Roughly 50,000 TSA officersare working without regular pay after Congress failed to pass funding for DHS, which oversees TSA, sparking the partial shutdown in mid-February. TSA officers missed their first full paycheck March 13 after receiving partial checks on Feb. 28.

"These are the people we depend upon to look for bombs and explosive devices on the airplane you're about to get on with your family," Johnson said. "They live paycheck to paycheck when they're getting paid. Morale traditionally in TSA is low and now we're forcing them to go to work without being paid at all."

The Department of Homeland Security referred questions to the White House, where an official speaking on background said the entire administration is closely monitoring all intelligence and remains vigilant to deter potential threats if they arise.

The risk of terrorism has risen due to Iran war, experts say

Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago who compiled the first database of suicide attacks around the world after the terrorist hijackings on Sept. 11, 2001, told USA TODAY the threat of terror campaigns would grow in the coming months.

Pape said threats would escalate since the start of the war through the economic shocks to the oil supply and leading toward the growing expectation of terror attacks.

"The longer this war goes on, the greater the risk," Pape said. "That's what the Trump administration has bitten off."

Pape, who continues to track terror at the University of Chicago's Project on Security and Threats, has aSubstack called "The Escalation Trap"warning about the implications of the Iran war. He said a core driver for terror campaigns is when the attacker believes a foreign government is trying to change the attacker's political system, such as with Israel's control over southern Lebanon or the U.S. strikes on Iran.

"You put those two things together, it's hardly a surprise we have a series of seven or eight events since Saturday Feb. 28," Pape said, such as theshooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, and theattack on a Michigan synagogue. "The full dangers will start to materialize in the coming months, if it goes on."

Jeff Price, an aviation security expert who is a professor at Metropolitan State University in Denver, said the threat of domestic terror attacks from Iran is "absolutely" higher because of the war.

"The war in Iran can inspire attacks from people who may have been on the brink of committing a terrorist act, and the war emboldens them to finally crossing that line," Price told USA TODAY. "The war motivates sympathizers, lone actors and groups already in the U.S. to conduct retaliatory attacks against government agencies, major infrastructure, and other targets of opportunity."

Elizabeth Stephens, managing director ofGeopolitical Risk Advisory, agreed that the risk of an increase of threats across the country from "lone wolf" actors have risen due to the conflict in Iran. If they attack, she said these perpetrators are likely to use guns or improvised explosive devices.

"The potential for suicide bombers coming from Iran is high now, because that's one way in which they can effectively attack the U.S.," Stephens said.

More:US is 'on top' of possible Iran sleeper cells, Trump says. What are they?

Security officials say "lone wolf" terrorists are a perennial concern because of thedifficulty identifying and thwarting someoneacting on their own to hurt Americans.

Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Florida, was suspected of links to the Islamic State after hekilled 49 people and injured 53 others in an Orlando night-club shootingon June 2, 2016. Mateen worked in security and the FBI had investigated him in 2013 for making "inflammatory comments" at work. In 2014, he again came to the FBI's attention because of an association with Moner Mohammad Abusalha, an American who carried out a suicide bombing in Syria that year, but the relationship was determined to be minimal.

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The attack in Florida came after a husband-wife shooting team unleashed a hail of gunfire in San Bernardino, California.Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malikhad a new baby girl and lived in a prosperous community. But they stockpiled guns, ammunition and bombs before shooting 14 people to death and wounding 20 others at a holiday party Dec. 2, 2015, at a center for developmentally disabled people.

Iran has long targeted the US, but fear of 'sleeper cells' is rising

Iran and its network of proxies have targeted the United States for decades, according toGeorge Washington University's Project on Extremism. Iranian assassinations date to the 1980 killing of a dissident in Bethesda, Maryland.

In more recent years, Iran targeted U.S. diplomats and high-ranking officials. Tensions escalated after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth told reporters March 2the military is prepared for terrorists who might try to attack the United States. He said the Iranian regime "seeks to export that ideology and try to sow terror."

"We're ready for that," Hegseth said. "We've seen those types of folks before and the American people can rest assured that we're vigilant on that."

President Donald Trump told reporters March 9 in Miamithat Iran has also been trying "for a long time" to activate so-called"sleeper cells" of long-dormant terrorists hiding in the United States.Trump urged Democrats to reopen DHS because the partial shutdown hinders the government's ability to combat terrorists.

"We know a lot about them, but the shutdown doesn't allow us to do what we have to do," Trump said.

Sleeper cells don't have to be highly organized to be successful, Price said.

"Sleeper cells are definitely a concern," Price said. "Even loosely organized small ad hoc groups can get their act together enough to attempt an attack."

Threat to aviation is 'very, very low,' some experts say

The funding lapse at DHS has raised concerns about aviation safety as TSA staffing shortages and absenteeism loom and airport security linesstretch longer. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on social media that "300 [TSA] officers quit" amid the funding lapse.

While the lack of funding for TSA is a concern, the probability of an attack on a U.S. airport or airplane, particularly from a lone wolf actor, is still "very, very low" considering the high level of sophistication needed to get past security, Stephens said.

"Staff shortages and long lines and low morale always increase risk, but they're increasing it by a fraction of a percent because the security at U.S. airports is of such a high standard," said Stephens. "But to me it seems nonsensical that a government wouldn't pay its security staff."

Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the nonprofit Flight Safety Foundation, echoed that sentiment saying he is confident that TSA could handle any potential increase in threats to air travel.

Shahidi said TSA has greatly strengthened its screening process in recent years and the technology, procedures and protocols in place aren't going to change because of the partial shutdown. If less officers show up for work, he said it will slow down that process and could even lead toflight cuts like those seen during the government shutdown in late 2025.

TSA previously told USA TODAY "travelers are facing TSA lines of up to nearly 3 hours long at some major airports, causing missed flights and massive delays during peak travel."

But the delays won't make passengers less safe, according to Shahidi, who recently traveled through the Atlanta airport, one of the major hubs that has reportedly seen wait times exceed an hour during peak periods.

"It's going to create inconvenience for the passengers and delays and that's certainly a concern," Shahidi said. "But from a safety perspective, we don't really see an issue there."

Other experts weren't so sure.

Price said the risk toward aviation is greater because of the symbolism, potentially generating a massive response on the traveling public. A bad actor could, for example, "effectively shut down the US aviation system with a bag full of burner phones by calling in bomb threats all day long," Price said.

"TSA not getting paid represents a significant risk to the traveling public," Price said. "When security personnel are worrying about where their next meal will come from and how they will take care of their family, they aren't thinking about their job."

Contributing:Zach Wichter, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Are flights safe? Terror concerns grow amid Iran war, TSA shutdown.

U.S. forces have carried out "large-scale" strikes on Kharg Island, a critical hub ofIran's Gulf oil operations, with the country responding by threatening to strike U.S. allies' oil facilities if any of its infrastructure is damaged.

U.S. Central Command said Saturday that naval mine storage facilities and missile storage bunkers were among targets destroyed in the "precision strike" on the island, hitting "90 Iranian military targets" while "preserving the oil infrastructure."

Kharg Island, a tiny but strategic island 15 miles off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf, is home to an oil terminal that ships 90% of the country's oil exports. There are alsomilitary capabilitiesthere, including air defenses and mines buried underground.

Announcing the strike in a post on Truth Social late Friday,President Donald Trumpsaid that U.S. forces had "totally obliteratedevery MILITARY targetin Iran's crown jewel, Kharg Island."

The island's oil terminal has so far been unscathed in the war, according to oil market research firm Energy Intelligence, and the president said the island's oil infrastructure was spared in Friday's attack, but could be struck down the road.

"Should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," Trump said, as Iran has actively interfered with shipping in the strait for several days.

Iran's Fars News Agency, which is linked to its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Telegram Saturday that more than 15 explosions were heard on the island during the U.S. attacks, which it said targeted air defenses, a naval base, an airport control tower and a helicopter hangar.

It said there was no damage to oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, but warned about the consequences of "any attack" on Iran's energy infrastructure.

"If this happens, all oil and gas infrastructure in the region in which the U.S. and its allies have interests will be set on fire and destroyed," Iran's armed forces said.

Iran has previously hit energy targets across the region, with a fire breaking out on Saturday following a drone attack at an oil terminal in the UAE.

Kharg Island is the "backbone" of Iran's oil trade infrastructure, according to one analyst, who said Iran earned $53 billion in net oil export revenues in 2025, around 11% of the country's annual GDP.

The island "serves as the physical hub enabling Iranian crude exports and the primary gateway for oil revenues," said Petras Katinas, a research fellow in climate, energy and defense at the Royal United Services Institute. It also allows Iran to sustain crude oil sales despite U.S. sanctions, he added, which "undermines a key U.S. foreign policy tool."

Trump's focus on Kharg Island appears to go back decades. In an interview withThe Guardiannewspaper in 1988 where Trump expressed his desire to one day be president, he said he'd be "harsh on Iran" and threaten the island.

"One bullet shot at one of our men or ships and I'd do a number on Kharg Island," he said.

When asked by Fox Radio host Brian Kilmeade in an interview on Friday whether he would take Kharg Island after being reminded of his past comments, Trump said it "was not high on the list."

"Let's say I was gonna do it, let's say I wasn't gonna do it," Trump said. "It's sort of a foolish question."

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Two U.S. officials told NBC News last weekthat Trump has privately expressed a serious interest in deploying U.S. troops inside Iran, and on Friday, three U.S. officials said that approximately 5,000 additional Marines and sailors would be deployed to the wider region to support the war effort.

Katinas said that seizing the island "would cut off Iran's oil lifeline" but require a commitment of ground troops on Iranian soil, "which this administration seems hesitant to undertake."

With shipping in the Strait of Hormuz now stopped, Iran "cannot sell it anyway," he added. "But looking ahead, seizure would give the U.S. leverage during negotiations, no matter which regime is in power after the military operation ends."

In a Saturday post on Truth Social, Trump said nations affected by the disruption, including China, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, could send warships to help keep the strait open alongside U.S. forces.

Ehsan Jahaniyan, the deputy governor of Bushehr, a port city close to Kharg Island, said Saturday after the strikes that "exports, imports and the activities of companies on the island are proceeding normally."

The overnight strikes came afterIran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei,issued a fiery first public statement on Thursday, vowing to keep blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route and attacking Gulf states. The written statement was read by a state television announcer.

About one-fifth of global oil supplies and one-third of fertilizers used around the world pass through the vital waterway.

Eight seafarers and shipyard workers have been killed in attacks in the past two weeks, while four are still unaccounted for, according to the International Maritime Organization.

The price of oil has since soared back above $100 a barrel, while the U.S.eased sanctions on Russian oilin a bid to stabilize markets, a move that drew criticism from Ukraine and Europe.

On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution condemning Iran's attacks on its neighbors and calling on Tehran to halt its threats to ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Asked about the possibility of the U.S. Navy escorting tankers through the strait while speaking to reporters on Joint Base Andrews on Friday, Trump said, "It'll happen soon. Very soon."

Trump also said that gas prices would fall when the war ends.

"I think your gas prices, as soon as that's over, are going to come tumbling down, along with everything else. I think it's going to be — you're gonna see a very big decrease in the price of gasoline, gas, anything having to do with energy as soon as this has ended," the president said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday dismissed the situation in theStrait of Hormuz, suggesting that the blocked strategic waterway is not a major concern.

"As the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz, something we're dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don't need to worry about it," Hegseth said at the Pentagon news briefing.

"We're on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before," he added.