Hawaii battered by downgraded storm
HONOLULU: Hurricane Lane was downgraded to a Category 3 storm as it lashed Hawaii yesterday with high winds and torrential rains, touching off flash floods, landslips and raging surf as Hawaii residents hunkered down to ride out the storm.
With Lane still churning in the Pacific Ocean about 225km southeast of KailuaKona, more than 30cm of rain had already fallen on the eastern side of the Big Island of Hawaii, said Kelly Wooten, a spokeswoman for the Hawaii County Civil Defense agency.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, but at least 14 roads had been closed because of flash floods and landslides in the Pacific island state, she said.
Moving northwest at 10kmh, the tempest was downgraded yesterday to a Category 3 storm on the fivestep SaffirSimpson scale, packing sustained winds of 201kmh. Earlier in the day Lane had been ranked as a Category 4.
The latest predictions showed the eye of the storm twisting west of the Big Island this morning before glancing past Maui and several other islands later in the day, on its way to Oahu. But authorities warned Lane was moving erratically and the islands could still expect to be hit hard by the erratic hurricane.
President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for Hawaii and ordered federal authorities to help supplement state and local responses, the White House said yesterday.
The Coast Guard ordered all harbours to close to incoming vessels. The US Navy has moved most of its fleet out of Pearl Harbour. The ships could provide assistance after the storm if needed, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported. — Reuters