Hawaii braces for powerful hurricane
Shelters open, navy vessels repositioned
AS EMERGENCY shelters opened, rain began to pour and cellphone alerts went out – and the approaching hurricane started to feel real for Hawaii residents. Hurricane Lane was forecast to continue its north-west turn into the islands yesterday, which would make it the most powerful storm to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
“Everyone is starting to buckle down at this point,” said Christyl Nagao of Kauai. “Our families are here. We have businesses and this and that. You just have to man your fort and hold on tight.”
Officials opened shelters on the Big Island and on the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai on Wednesday. They urged those needing the Molokai shelter to get there soon because of concerns the main highway on the south coast of the island could become impassable.
On the island of Oahu, which was put on a hurricane warning late on Wednesday, shelters were scheduled to open yesterday. Officials were also working to help Hawaii’s sizeable homeless population, many of whom live near beaches and streams that could be flooded.
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency administrator Tom Travis said there was not enough shelter space on the islands and advised those who were not in flood zones to stay at home.
Officials warned the limited shelter space should be a “last resort” and that the shelters were not designed to withstand winds greater than about 65km/h. “Whenever possible, the public should plan to shelter in a place or stay with family or friends in homes outside of these hazard areas that were designed, built or renovated to withstand anticipated conditions,” the city and county of Honolulu said.
Hurricanes are ranked 1 to 5 according to what is known as the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Hurricane Lane is at Category 4, which means winds from 210 to 250km/h.
The hurricane’s outer rain bands were bringing showers to some parts of the islands, said Matt Foster, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Nearly 7.6cm of rain had fallen on the eastern side of Hawaii in three hours.
Public schools were closed for the rest of the week and local government workers, excepting for staff at essential services, were told to stay at home.
Meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said Lane might weaken to a Category 3 hurricane by yesterday afternoon, but if that happened it would still be classed as a major hurricane.
“We expect it to gradually weaken as it gets closer to the islands,” Chevalier said. “That being said, on our current forecast, as of (yesterday) afternoon, we still have it as a major hurricane.”
The central Pacific experiences fewer hurricanes than other regions, with about only four or five named storms a year. Hawaii rarely gets hit. The last major storm to hit the islands was Iniki but in recent years others have come close to doing so.
Unlike Florida or Texas, where residents can drive hundreds of kilometres to safety, people in Hawaii are confined to the islands and must stay put. They have to make sure they have enough supplies to outlast prolonged power outages and other potential emergencies.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has several barges with food, water and supplies that it moved into the region ahead of Hurricane Hector, which skirted past the islands more than a week ago, according to Fema administrator Brock Long.
The US Navy was moving its ships and submarines out of Hawaii. All vessels not undergoing maintenance were being positioned to help respond after the storm, if needed. President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration on Wednesday, authorising the Department of Homeland Security and Fema to co-ordinate disaster relief efforts with the state. – AP/ANA