Page 6 - aruba-today-20180824

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 24 august 2018

Hurricane Lane

unleashes rain as it

shifts closer to Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) — Hurri- As Lane moved closer to
cane Lane soaked Hawaii's the islands, it was expected
Big Island on Thursday, to weaken more rapidly
dumping nearly 20 inches and turn toward the west.
of rain in nearly 24 hours But it was unknown exactly
as residents stocked up on when that would happen,
supplies and tried to pro- forecasters said.
tect their homes ahead of Pablo Akira Beimler, who
the state's first hurricane lives on the coast in Hono-
since 1992. kaa on the Big Island, said
The National Weather Ser- the road to Hilo was cut off
vice warned that Lane will due to landslides.
get "perilously close" to Ha- "Rain has been nonstop for People, who declined to be named, fill up sand bags that will be used to help protect their home
waii and that some areas the last half hour or so and in preparation for Hurricane Lane, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018, along Ewa Beach in Honolulu.
could see up to 30 inches winds are just starting to Associated Press
(about 80 centimeters) be- pick up," Beimler said as he
fore the system passes. posted videos of trees be- Shelters opened Wednes- day," he said by telephone. Napua Puaoi of Wailuku,
Lane was not projected to ing blown sideways. "Our day on the Big Island and "I got friends calling me tell- Maui, said she and her hus-
make direct hit on the is- usually quiet stream is rag- on the islands of Maui, ing me there's surf at the band planned on board-
lands, but officials warned ing right now." Molokai and Lanai. Officials beach, and they're actual- ing up their windows and
that even a lesser blow He said staying put is about urged those needing the ly going surfing right now." sliding doors. She was 12 at
could do significant harm. the only choice he has. Molokai shelter to get there He won't be joining them the time of Hurricane Iniki.
"You do not need a direct "We essentially have one soon because of concerns and instead is staying "When it did happen, I just
strike to have major im- way in and out of our towns that the main highway on home with his four children remember pandemonium.
pacts from a hurricane this so sheltering in place is the the island's south coast since there's no school. It was all-out craziness," she
strong," said Steve Gold- priority," Beimler said in a could become impassable. Palumbo is prepared for said.
stein, a meteorologist at Twitter message. On the island of Oahu, the storm after boarding Unlike Florida or Texas,
the National Oceanic and Two campers were report- shelters were scheduled up one large window and where residents can get in
Atmospheric Administra- ed trapped overnight in to open Thursday. Aid stocking up on snack food. their cars and drive hun-
tion in Washington. Waipio Valley, along the agencies were also work- He's also got a freezer full dreds of miles to safety,
The center of the Category Big Island's northern coast. ing to help Hawaii's size- of fish he's caught on dives people in Hawaii are con-
4 storm was predicted to The campers called au- able homeless population, and deer he's hunted on fined to the islands. They
move close to or over por- thorities Wednesday, but many of whom live near the island to last them have to make sure they
tions of the main islands lat- emergency crews could beaches and streams that through the storm. have enough supplies to
er Thursday or Friday, bring- not mount a rescue opera- could flood. "I don't have a generator, outlast power outages and
ing dangerous surf of 20 tion. Because there's not enough but I figure as things thaw other potential emergen-
feet (6 meters) and a storm "We can't go in because shelter space statewide, out, if the electricity goes, cies.
surge of up to 4 feet (1 me- the roads — there's a river Hawaii Emergency Man- we'll just get cooking," he The Federal Emergency
ter), forecasters said. As of of water down there," said agement Agency Admin- said. Management Agency
11 a.m., the hurricane was Hawaii County Managing istrator Tom Travis urged The central Pacific gets moved several barges
about 275 miles (460 kilo- Director Wil Okabe. Land- people who were not in fewer hurricanes than oth- packed with food, water,
meters) south of Honolulu. slides had closed some flood zones to stay home. er regions, with about only generators and other sup-
Lane "shifted a little closer roads. On the island of Lanai, it four or five named storms plies into the region ahead
to the islands, unfortunate- In addition, there were re- was eerily dead still and a year. Hawaii rarely gets of Hurricane Hector, which
ly," meteorologist Melissa ports of boulders falling into gray, said Nick Palumbo II, hit. The last major storm to skirted past the islands
Dye said. "Big Island and a park in Hilo on the east who owns Lanai Surf School hit was Iniki in 1992. Others more than a week ago,
Maui are in the thick of it side of the island, Okabe and Safari. have come close in recent FEMA Administrator Brock
now." said. "It's relatively like a regular years. Long said.q