How Hawaiian Islands are prepping for severe storm weather
HONOLULU (KHON2) — As we brace for a powerful storm expected to bring heavy rain and possible flooding, emergency officials across the state are taking no chances. At the same time, residents who experienced devastating floods in the past are growing increasingly anxious.The clock is ticking as Hawaii prepares for potentially dangerous weather. The Kauai Emergency Management Agency is currently in a 'monitoring state.'
Hawaii residents: Follow these storm preparedness tips
'So not just normal operations, but with the hazard approaching, we are not only monitoring conditions but also working to coordinate with all of our partners on the front end,' explained Elton Oshio, KEMA Administrator.
With the 2024 April floods still fresh in the minds of Garden Isle residents, the county's public works crews are inspecting flood-prone areas and taking proactive measures. They've met with the Red Cross and the Parks Department to have emergency shelters ready if needed.
Kauai Island Utilities Co-Op is also on standby.
'They are closely monitoring weather and having their crews be ready to respond to outages as long as conditions are safe for them to respond,' said Oshio.
Hawaii County Civil Defense is on what they term an 'enhanced monitoring' level, ready to start at 6 a.m. on Thursday for around-the-clock activation.
'We've had our first operational briefing this morning, and then we'll come together again tomorrow and activate the EOC, as Hawaii Island is kind of going to be a little bit later than the rest of the state to start receiving any impacts,' said Talmadge Magno, Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator.
Ala Wai sees tremendous 24 hour transformation
Emergency Management agencies on all islands tell us they are in coordination with state and federal partners and are preparing for school closures and power outages, evacuation plans and sheltering.
The State Transportation Department is on standby.
'When the storm occurs, if the county needs work in their areas, we'll do it,' said Ed Sniffen, State Department of Transportation Director.
Oahu's Department of Emergency Management is planning to activate at 5 a.m. Thursday, earlier if conditions worsen before then.
Meanwhile, on Oahu, some residents in flood-prone areas like along Kalihi Stream, are feeling a deep sense of deja vu.
'Intense, anxiety is building up,' said Leslie Awana, a resident at Hale Umi located on Umi Street.
'It's been almost 10 years since the impact of Tropical Storm Darby left several units at Hale Umi underwater.
'There was dead fish, dead rats, it was sludgy gross water, it was a bad thing. It took a lot of recovery time,' said Awana.
With another heavy rainstorm predicted, residents here say they're nervous.
Check out more news from around Hawaii
'Well, right now I've got everything hanging on the walls. And I've been doing it for the last 10 years,' Awana said.
Emergency officials said residents should be aware of weather alerts and be prepared with emergency plans.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Cosme forms in Eastern Pacific, likely to become hurricane this week
Tropical Depression Three-E strengthened into Tropical Storm Cosme in the Eastern Pacific on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the maximum sustained winds associated with this system have reached at least 40 mph, officially designating it as a tropical storm. A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone that has maximum sustained winds between 39 and 73 mph – an upgrade from a tropical depression. On Sunday, Cosme has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. Tropical Storm Cosme is located 665 miles south of Baja California, Mexico and is currently being monitored by the NHC for further development. "Additional strengthening is expected, and Cosme is forecast to be near hurricane strength on Monday," according to the National Hurricane Center. Cosme is the third named storm in the Eastern Pacific since the start of that basin's hurricane season on May 15, with Tropical Storm Alvin already forming and dissipating and Tropical Storm Barbara currently active and located a few hundred miles to the east of Tropical Storm Cosme. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to Nov. 30. This story is developing. Check back frequently for updates. Original article source: Tropical Storm Cosme forms in Eastern Pacific, likely to become hurricane this week
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tropical Depression 3-E forms in Eastern Pacific and could become Tropical Storm Cosme later Sunday
Tropical Depression Three-E formed in the Eastern Pacific on Sunday morning and is expected to strengthen into Tropical Storm Cosme in a matter of hours. A tropical depression has maximum sustained winds of 38 mph or less, and unlike tropical storms and hurricanes, tropical depressions are identified with numbers rather than names. How To Watch Fox Weather Tropical Depression Three-E is located more than 700 miles south of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, and was moving off to the northwest at 8 mph. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Tropical Depression Three-E was expected to continue in that general direction through Sunday night before a decrease in forward speed and a turn to the northeast on Monday. After that, the NHC said Tropical Depression Three-E will turn back to the northwest and see an increase in forward speed on Monday night and Tuesday. Download The Free Fox Weather App Maximum sustained winds are at 35 mph with some higher gusts, and the system is expected to continue to strengthen. The NHC said Tropical Depression Three-E is expected to become Tropical Storm Cosme later Sunday. Tropical activity has been increasing in the basin since the start of the hurricane season on May 15, with Tropical Storm Alvin already forming and dissipating and Tropical Storm Barbara currently active and located a few hundred miles to the east of Tropical Depression Three-E. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to Nov. article source: Tropical Depression 3-E forms in Eastern Pacific and could become Tropical Storm Cosme later Sunday
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
National Hurricane Center's Florida outlook is clear. What is Tropical Storm Barbara?
With a hot Sunday on the horizon and the Saharan dust cloud pretty much gone, people in Florida on June 8 will need to apply the sunscreen and watch for a passing thunderstorm in some spots. But what we won't have to worry about this week, according the National Hurricane Center forecasters on June 8, is any tropical activity in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf of America. ➤ Track all active storms ➤ Weather alerts via text: Sign up to get updates about current storms and weather events by location The dust that passed was helping keep the tropics quiet, as the dry air helps prevent the development of new storms and helps prevent any existing ones from strengthening. Another large plume of dust moving off Africa could reach Florida around June 13, according to AccuWeather. If you're hearing about a tropical storm somewhere, there is one, but Tropical Storm Barbara is in the Pacific and not anything headed our way. Here's the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center as of 8 a.m., June 8: The National Hurricane Center is watching a tropical wave in the central Atlantic. It's moving west at 11 to 17 mph. Now is the time to prepare for a hurricane, before a storm is approaching. Tropical Storm Barbara is in the eastern Pacific, far from Florida. It is the second named storm of the Pacific hurricane season, which started May 15. The storm had 45 mph winds, was last charted the morning of June 8 at 180 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Tropical Storm Barbara was not causing any watches or warnings for land. Named storms in the Pacific have a different set of names than those in the Atlantic. Andrea will be the first named storm in the Atlantic (it was Alvin for the Pacific). "This dust will likely prevent anything from forming across most of the Atlantic tropical basin over the next few weeks," said AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Forecaster Alex DaSilva. "The only areas that can see a risk of development will be across the western Caribbean or in the Gulf. "The timing we are looking at for possible tropical development in the central and western Caribbean is June 12-16 or perhaps a bit later," DaSilva said. AccuWeather meteorologists said there is a low risk for tropical development in that area through mid-June. "Should a tropical depression or storm take shape next week, it may be more likely to track into the Gulf and then perhaps swing toward Louisiana or Florida," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. "Should it wait till later next week or perhaps hold off until nearly the middle of the month, steering breezes would be more likely to take it into southern Mexico or Central America." It appears that the latter option, with movement toward Mexico or Central America, is more likely, according to AccuWeather. Historically, tropical cyclones form close to the U.S. in June, with the most common locations being the northwestern Caribbean and the eastern Gulf, according to Dr. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist with WeatherTiger. Truchelut is a Florida meteorologist who works with the USA TODAY Network. "None of the reputable forecast models are showing a realistic chance of anything tropical forming on the Atlantic side of Central America through mid-month." ➤ WeatherTiger: False alarms, beneficial rain and a dusty start to Florida storm season The exception is the GFS model, which is predicting a Caribbean tropical storm will spin up in 10 to 12 days, then move generally northward, Truchelut said. "The GFS has a persistent and well-known bias for incorrectly predicting development in the Caribbean at this specific time of year," Truchelut said. "All told, while something could eventually spin up in two or three weeks, the GFS' frequent false alarms should be disregarded." The GFS model, which stands for Global Forecast System, is the weather prediction model operated by the National Weather Service. In addition to providing data for a wide range of forecasts, it's also used for hurricane tracking. A "wall of dust" moved through Florida and the dust plume was expected to stretch along the Gulf Coast and portions of the southwest Atlantic coast through June 6. Those conditions, which produce vivid sunrises and sunsets, along with hazy skies, along with dirty spots on cars and other objects when it rains, should dissipate this weekend. Another dust plume is expected in about a week, which has its advantages. Dust in the atmosphere helps prevent the formation or strengthening of tropical systems. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Ninety-seven percent of tropical cyclone activity occurs during this time period, NOAA said. The Atlantic basin includes the northern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of America, as the Gulf of Mexico is now known in the U.S. per an order from President Trump. NOAA and the National Hurricane Center are now using Gulf of America on its maps and in its advisories. The peak of the season is Sept. 10, with the most activity happening between mid-August and mid-October, according to the Hurricane Center. Systems currently being monitored by the National Hurricane Center include: Tropical cyclone is the generic term used by the National Weather Service, NOAA and the National Hurricane Center for any tropical system, even if it's in the tropical Atlantic basin. To be more precise, a tropical cyclone is a "rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation," NOAA said. Once maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, what it is called is determined by where it originated: : for storms in the North Atlantic, central North Pacific, and eastern North Pacific. : for storms in the Northwest Pacific. : for storms in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. We will update our tropical weather coverage daily. Download your local site's app to ensure you're always connected to the news. And look for our special subscription offers here. (This story was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Hurricane Center tracks tropical wave as Florida stays in the clear
