East Hawaiʻi business owners, families, state and county prepare for Tropical Storm Lala

Downtown Hilo was busy Friday with businesses preparing for possible flooding, heavy rains and high winds from Tropical Storm Lala that is forecast to be a Category 1 hurricane, or close to a hurricane by the time it reaches the Big island on Saturday.

Staff were putting up wooden barriers to protect windows and placing sandbags to stop water from flowing inside.

“I’m definitely more worried about this one compared to Hurricane Hone last year because it hasn’t broken up like they normally do,” said Wade Morales, a photographer and gallery owner. “With El Niño in the mix, I just don’t know what to expect.”

Weather forecasters say to expect high winds, heavy rains, strong surf and possible flooding when Lala strikes the Big Island on Saturday.

“Let’s just say this: It’s going to be one heck of a lot of wind and water,” Hawai’i Gov. Josh Green said during a press conference on Friday to tout all the state was doing in preparation for Lala. “That’s Saturday and Sunday. That’s what you can expect.”

That much rainfall also means landslides, mudslides and rock fall — all kinds of debris. Plus, the Big Island and other parts of the state just went through flooding during the Kona lows in March and other severe storms in February and April.

“This is a very serious storm,” Green reiterated. “We have not had a hurricane make landfall in quite some time, so none of us really have experience this in the last couple of decades.”

Meterologist Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel was reporting Friday from the Ka‘ū District in Punalu‘u, telling Big Island Now: “This is ground zero.”

Cantore said the center of storm’s circulation is headed toward the rugged coastline.

The good news is the storm hadn’t strengthened as of Friday afternoon and that when the storm does pass by the island, it should pass quickly, he said.

Since 1950, only three hurricanes have made landfall in the Hawaiian Islands. They include the devastating Hurricane Iniki that struck Kaua‘i in 1992. 

Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda said Hawai‘i Island hasn’t taken a direct hit from a hurricane since 1871 — 155 years ago.

“We always take hits from a hurricane, but more on the peripheral,” Alameda said Friday afternoon. 

Bill Hanson, administrative officer for Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Agency, compared Tropical Storm Lala to Hurricane Iselle, which struck the Big Island on Aug. 9, 2014. The storm produced waves of 25 feet, leading to significant run-up and causing total storm surge water levels to reach 8 to 10 feet above ground in some places in Puna.

Stan Lawrence has owned Orchid Land Surf on Kamehameha Avenue for more tha 50 years and said the worst hurricane he’s lived through was Hurricane Lane, which was a powerful tropical cyclone that brought torrential rainfall and strong winds to Hawaiʻi during late August 2018. 

“Normally, the mountains and the deep cold water make us one of the safest islands when it comes to hurricanes, but these storms are unpredictable nowadays” Lawrence said. “This is the warmest water we’ve seen in years and with global warming in general, the hurricanes and tropical storms will just get stronger as we go.”

Although Hurricane Lane remained west of the Big Island, tremendous amounts of rain battered eastern areas of the island from August 22 to 26 and was the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the state of Hawaiʻi, surpassing the previous peak during Hurricane Hiki in 1950.

“With Lane, we just didn’t know how bad the rain was going to be and it flooded my shop badly at the time,” Lawrence said. “I don’t know, I’m just feeling like something similar could come from this one.”

Lawrence also said he remember preparing for Hurricane Iselle, which was supposed to be bad in Hilo, but it surprisingly caused a ton of damage in Puna.

“Trees and power lines came down and it was a mess,” he said. “But that’s what I mean, you truly cannot predict these storms.”

Green and Alameda reassured the public that the state and county governments are ready to respond when and where necessary. The Kona lows and severe weather during the spring led to relationships forming and experience that will help while responding to Lala.

All of the state’s mayors signed their own emergency proclamations, following suit with the governor, which will speed up response and recovery efforts.

Hawai’i state lawmakers also have set aside $100 million in a Major Disaster Fund that can be used for tropical storm/hurricane response.

The Hawai’i National Guard already has boots on the ground on the Big Island, with 33 members as part of a task force that will be available to support the county 24/7 while Lala is moving past or over the island.

It’s now likely too late for people on the Big Island to do any major preparation before Lala arrives. Green and Alameda said it’s a matter of hunkering down in a safe place and riding the storm out. Check on your neighbors, especially the elderly, to see if they need assistance. Be prepared for extended power outages, too, which Hawaiian Electric said are possible.

When Green was a doctor in the Ka’u and South Kona areas of the island, he treated many patients who didn’t heed that advice during past storms.

“Please guys, don’t go to South Point and do the jump … because there’s a big storm,” he said. “Don’t do that. I used to treat people the day after these big storms with broken ankles and broken clavicle and lacerations. I mean, it’s serious.”

Alameda said officials don’t want people’s extracurricular activity to become the county’s or state’s rescue mission.

“We don’t have a lot of first responders to save everybody, right?” the mayor said. “So the more that our residents an do to take care of themselves and take care of their neighbors, the easier it is for governments such as us to respond to the real emergency.”

While Lala is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 hurricane, it has been moving south away from the island. Even if that trajectory continues, Alameda said flooding and wind are still a big concern for communities stretching from Hilo down through South Point in the Ka‘ū District.

Forecasters said the Big Island could experience up to 25 inches of rain in some parts of the island.

“I believe we are weather-tested with rain, just from my own experience in growing up here, but big winds, that could be a problem,” Alameda said Friday afternoon.

Alameda said the county was prepared and continued to encourage the public to gather supplies, including emergency kits, water, fuel for their vehicles, and batteries for flashlights. 

He also suggested tying down all loose items around their properties. 

The county is concerned for the safety of the houseless community in downtown Hilo as well. Alameda said if there is wind or rain making it unsafe for those to stay at the designated safe sleeping site at the Salvation Army, they may relocate them to a shelter.

Alameda encouraged residents and visitors to the island to shelter in place in the worst case scenario. He also encouraged visitors to understand the emergency procedures of where they are staying, whether it’s a hotel, Airbnb or vacation rental.

“We want them to know that once they become a visitor, we treat them like family,” Alameda said. “We want to protect them as much as anybody else.”

Hawaiʻi state agencies also are taking action and preparing resources in advance of Tropical Storm Lala, including the Hawai’i National Guard.

Task Force Hawaiʻi, made up of 25 Hawaiʻi National Guard personnel, has been stood up. Another 160 or so Guard personnel are being positioned to support response operations statewide with high-wheeled vehicle teams in each county.

The stores along Kamehameha Avenue and most businesses in downtown Hilo have signs stating that they will be closed all day Saturday due to the storm.

While the state and county have been working to prepare the public for potential damaging winds and torrential rains, there are residents that have storm preparation dialed in and are feeling calm about the tropical storm.

Mark and Leilani, who declined to give their last names, spent part of the morning bagging sand together to protect the areas of their home that flood. By 11 a.m. on Friday, the sand pile provided by the county was nearly to the ground at the Piʻilani Street pick-up in Hilo.

“I was born and raised in Hilo, so I am pretty used to flood events and active hurricane season,” Leilani said. “We live in Puna and learned that the garage we have floods easily, so we’re going to use sandbags there and inspect the house for any other areas that may need to be addressed. Sometimes you don’t know until you know.”

Leilani said they would spend the rest of the day filling up gas cans, propane tanks and water jugs and making one more trip to the store.

Alameda encouraged visitors to text  888-777 and write the words “Hawaii alerts” to start getting county emergency messages.

Green added to simply avoid unnecessary travel once Lala arrives, and never go across flooded roadways that you can’t see.

“That’s when you get swept away, and it actually does happen.”

The governor said houses, cars, schools and other infrastructure can be fixed after the storm, but a lost loved one can never be replaced.