Residents on the Big Island of Hawaii, which gives its name to the volcanic US Pacific archipelago, are preparing for a potentially historic weather situation with a tropical storm gathering hurricane-level strength as it approaches.
The US Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Friday said Lala, a powerful tropical storm at the moment, should be at hurricane strength by the time it approaches the Big Island on Saturday.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green, who called the storm “enormous,” declared a state of emergency on Friday in an effort to make sure the state and its counties “have sufficient resources to clear debris, secure infrastructure and take other measures to prepare.”
Currently, a hurricane warning is in effect for Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island. The islands of Maui, Molokai and Kahoolawe to its northwest are under a tropical storm warning.
Should the storm make landfall as expected, it would be the first time the Big Island has been hit by a hurricane since 1871.
The storm is expected to bring winds, rainfall and heavy surf, spurring government and residents to prepare for the worst.
Shelters have already been set up and residents encouraged to remain vigilant and get themselves and their families to safe spaces before they become trapped.
What if Lala doesn’t make landfall?
Experts say a direct hit is not necessarily the concern here, with meteorologist Vanessa Almanza of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Honolulu cited by the Associated Press as saying: “It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction. A lot of the impacts are felt outside of the hurricane.”
The National Hurricane Center predicts 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of rain across Maui and the Big Island this weekend, with maximum totals as high as 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) in some Big Island locations.
The NHC also warned that the storm could bring “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” as well as dangerous storm surges and ocean swells, “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
Conditions trigger fear of floods and fires
As of Friday afternoon, Lala was located about 275 miles (440 kilometers) east-southeast of South Point, Hawaii, according to the NHC.
Data showed the storm had maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) and was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. The wind-speed threshold for a Category 1 hurricane is 74 miles per hour.
Beyond fear of flooding, which the island of Oahu experienced in March, dry and windy weather has increased fear of wildfires as the storm picks up pace.
In 2023, the Maui town of Lahaina burned during extreme winds caused by a hurricane passing by far to the south.
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Pointing to 1992’s Hurricane Iniki as a tale of warning
The last hurricane to make landfall on the archipelago was Iniki, a category 4 storm, in 1992 — also an El Nino year.
On Friday, Governor Green reminded residents that Iniki made landfall after changing its path, “so we just can never know if a storm is going to turn.”
While urging vigilance, Green said: “It did $3 billion (€2.6 billion) in damage. It destroyed thousands of homes and it did kill six people.”
Green implored residents: “If you feel now that your house doesn’t have a great roof or might not be able to withstand hurricane force winds, then first things first you go to a family or friend’s house and you kind of hunker down there.”
The southern end of Hawaii is remote and rural but its affordability has attracted a growing population, some of whom live off-grid in unpermitted structures.
‘Prepare, don’t wait’ say authorities
On neighboring Oahu, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said Friday: “I am asking everyone to finish your preparations today. Don’t wait for the weather to deteriorate. Stay informed, stay away from dangerous areas and make sure your family knows what to do if conditions worsen.”
Residents were encouraged to clean gutters and drains, clear any hanging branches or debris from yards and seal their doors, with emergency services adding, “Stay away from beaches and coastal areas where rough surf and rip currents could sweep you away.”
This year’s Pacific Ocean El Nino has already attained temperatures so high that when it peaks between October and December NOAA says there is a 69% chance of a “historic event that would exceed the strength of previous El Nino events dating back to 1950.”
The natural climate pattern occurs when ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific become unusually warm. This tends to fuel hurricane activity in the Pacific while retarding it in the Atlantic.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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