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HOLLYN JOHNSON/HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
Bottled water was selling faster than clerks could keep shelves stocked as people bought supplies in advance of Hurricane Madeline this morning at the Target store in Hilo.
Big Island residents evacuated animals and stockpiled water today, bracing for what could be the first hurricane to make landfall in the state in decades.
The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning as Hurricane Madeline hurtled west toward the island, urging residents to rush through preparations to protect themselves and their property and expect hurricane conditions within the next 36 hours.
“Hopefully our roofs stay on, and our houses don’t float way or get blown away,” said Big Island resident Mitzi Bettencourt, who boarded up walls of glass windows at her brother’s oceanfront home. “It’s like, ‘Oh my God, are we going to get flattened or what?’ “
Bettencourt, who lives in a subdivision called Kapoho Vacationland, manages several vacation rental properties and has her own home to worry about, which sits a few blocks from the ocean. She and her neighbors were stocking their pantries, stowing away lawn furniture and preparing for power outages.
“If they’re not prepared now, they should get prepared fast,” said Chevy Chevalier, a meteorologist with the weather service.
Hurricane Madeline is expected to weaken but likely will remain a hurricane as it passes the state, Chevalier said.
Forecasters are expecting Madeline to pass just south of the Big Island around 2 a.m. Thursday. But if the storm track shifts slightly to the north, the eye of the storm could pass over land.
The last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, which hit Kauai, Chevalier said.
A second Pacific hurricane, named Lester, is still far from Hawaii, but could bring heavy rain and winds this weekend.
Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, which will allow the state to quickly spend money to alleviate disasters. “I urge you to take immediate steps to protect your families, loved ones, employees and property,” Ige said in a statement.
The state Department of Education announced public schools would be closed Wednesday and Thursday in anticipation of severe weather, and about a dozen schools were turned into emergency shelters.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Oahu this week. The White House is tracking the weather developments closely, but it doesn’t anticipate changing Obama’s schedule.
The islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.
On the Big Island, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was closing some areas Tuesday, and park officials planned for the coastal lava viewing area to close by Wednesday morning. Some camping areas were closing, but guests staying at Kilauea Military Camp and Volcano House were allowed to shelter in place.
The U.S. Coast Guard asked crews of barges and ships to prepare to leave Hilo Harbor and told ocean-going vessels to seek sheltered waters until storm conditions subside. Captain Mike Long said he expected to close Hilo Harbor to all traffic by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Hawaii County, which covers the Big Island, urged residents to restock their emergency kits with a flashlight, fresh batteries, cash and first-aid supplies. It recommended that residents create evacuation plans and secure outdoor furniture.
Hawaiian Airlines said customers holding tickets to or from Hawaii’s Big Island from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1 would be allowed a one-time reservation change without a fee.
Hurricanes bring out the greed in humans, especially those who greedily overstock supplies and then return everything to the stores, Costco, etc once the threat of a hurricane has passed. There should be a law against this. If you hoard, you need to keep it and use it!!
I don’t know if greed is the motivation, rather more a sense of self-preservation and to insure survival of a potential catastrophic event.
If the hurricane hits the Big Island square on, Mauna Kea and Loa will greatly dissipate the focused energy of the hurricane so that when it passes over the other Hawaiian islands, the winds are much less intense. Of course Big Island residents will get it the worse.
I can’t use 500 rolls of toilet paper!
You will eventually use 500 rolls of toilet paper.
Yes you can. Just takes awhile. lol Not to worry, they won’t go bad unless you are flooded.
Will ride it out in my Chevy Cavalier.
…and even with warnings, people will do stupid things and put their lives and First responders at risk…….go figure.
Natural Slection should kick in, ya?
Unfortunately not everyone is able to do so, with two hurricane’s on the Big Islands door step; as many who live on social security and welfare, don’t have the “finances” to do much in preparing for what is to come. I should know,as I am one of those “stuck between a rock and a hard place” as Social Security does not kick in until Friday and SNAP benefits don’t kick in, until Friday also, for some, and on Monday for others! Yet you will hear nothing about that in the News Media, or from the City and County; as “Hawaii” gets sideswiped from back to back heavy duty storm systems.
This might be the time for Billy Kenoi to step up.