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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 auguSt 2018
Hurricane Lane floods homes as others take to the waves

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLE- window and saw water 3
HER and AUDREY McAVOY feet high gushing past my
Associated Press window," she said. "And
HONOLULU (AP) — Hurri- that's when I realized I was
cane Lane took aim at the standing in water."
Hawaiian islands on Friday, She called a neighbor for
bringing torrential rains that help, who crawled through
immersed a city in waist- bushes to bring her out of
deep water and forced the house, half-carrying her
some residents and tour- as she clutched a plastic
ists to flee flooding homes, bag with medication.
while others flocked to The gushing water knocked
Honolulu's famed Waikiki down a cement wall and
Beach to jump off seawalls lifted her truck out of the
with boogie boards into the carport, sending it toward
turbulent ocean. her neighbor's house, she
As many dealt with flooding said.
and even brush fires, swim- "My house is completely in-
mers and surfers ignored undated with mudwater,"
warnings from authorities said Collins, who was told
and plunged into powerful the damage wouldn't be
waves at the closed beach covered by insurance. She
on Oahu — the most popu- hopes she can get federal In this photo provided by Jessica Henricks, is flooding and damage from Hurricane Lane Friday,
lated island. assistance. Aug. 24, 2018, near Hilo, Hawaii.
Emergency officials said re- Elsewhere on the Big Is- Associated Press
peatedly over loudspeak- land, the National Guard
ers, "Please get out of the and firefighters rescued six to envelop parked cars. "Trying to figure which flow in heavy rains have
water! It's very dangerous!" people and a dog from a Josh Galinato said he was comes first, the fire or the prompted plans to mitigate
Honolulu's mayor pleaded flooded home, while five trying to sleep when he rain," said Azam, who's from the risk.
with tourists that they were California tourists were res- smelled smoke in his apart- Oakland, California, and is "The canal has flooded in
putting themselves in dan- cued from another home. ment in the tourist town of staying at a hotel. "We're the past, and I believe it's
ger as the storm moved A different type of evacu- Lahaina. praying the rain arrives safe to say based on the
closer. ation took place on Oahu. "I opened up my front soon." forecast of rainfall it's likely
The storm weakened to a Officials with Hawaii's De- door, and I just saw the Others prayed for rain to to flood again, the impacts
Category 1 with winds of partment of Land and fire spreading and coming stay away. of which we aren't pre-
74 to 95 mph as it headed Natural Resources trans- downhill," Galinato said. In Waikiki, the man-made pared to say at this time,"
north toward the Hawai- ferred about 2,000 rare He and neighbors honked Ala Wai Canal is likely to Alexander said.
ian islands, the National Hawaiian snails from a horns to alert others to the flood if predicted rains ar- Major flooding could dam-
Weather Service said. It mountain marsh to offices danger. rive, said Ray Alexander of age 3,000 structures and
was expected to veer west, in downtown Honolulu. A Joseph Azam, who is vaca- the U.S. Army Corps of En- cost more than $1 billion
skirting the islands, but still staff member will spend the tioning in Maui with family gineers. The canal marks in repairs, the Honolulu
threatened to bring heavy night with them and place and friends, hopes that rain the northern boundary of Star-Advertiser newspa-
rains and strong, gusty ice around snail cages in from the hurricane arrives the Waikiki tourist district. per reported, citing corps
winds statewide, meteorol- case the air conditioning before the flames do. Worries that it could over- estimates.q
ogist Gavin Shigesato said. quits working.
A hurricane watch for Ha- Some of the snails are liter-
waii's westernmost inhab- ally the last of their kind, like
ited islands, Kauai and one named George.
Niihau, was downgraded He's the sole remaining
to a tropical storm watch. Achatinella apexfulva in
Still, the hurricane center captivity. Staff members
warned that Lane's slow are trying to keep him safe
movement increases the in case he is able to repro-
potential for prolonged duce.
heavy rainfall that's expect- As flooding hit the Big Is-
ed to cause major flash land, brush fires broke out
flooding and landslides. in areas of Maui and Oahu
The outer bands of the hur- susceptible to flames.
ricane dumped as much as Some residents in a shelter
3 feet (1 meter) of rain on on Maui had to flee when a
the mostly rural Big Island brush fire got too close and
in 48 hours. The main town another forced people
of Hilo, population 43,000, from their homes. A wom-
was flooded Friday with an got burns on her hands
waist-high water as land- and legs and was flown
slides shut down roads. to Honolulu, Maui County
Margaret Collins, 69, woke spokesman Rod Antone
up Thursday night to the said. Her condition wasn't
sound of moving water in clear.
her Hilo backyard. A man posted a video on
"So I got up out of bed and Instagram showing flames
looked out my bedroom several stories high starting