Hawai‘i County monitoring new tropical cyclone approaching state

Hawai‘i County continues to monitor an impending new tropical cyclone that is forecast to become a strong tropical storm as it approaches the state — posing a real threat of impacting the Big Island this weekend, as early as Saturday.

Officials urge residents and businesses to prepare for heavy, flooding rainfall, high surf, possible damaging winds and the potential for worsening of power outages, loss of communications and road closures.

“We encourage everyone to take this new storm seriously and prepare for its expected arrival on Saturday,” said Hawai’i County Mayor Kimo Alameda in a county release. “The exact impacts aren’t clear, but that much rain falling on saturated ground could cause more flooding and landslides, so be prepared to move to shelter early.”

All of this comes in the wake of the deadly and destructive Hurricane Lala just a week ago.

“Please take this time to review your emergency plan, make sure you prepare adequate food, water, medication [and] fuel, [as well as] have flashlights with working batteries and emergency contact information,” said Hawai‘i County Civil Defense in a message Thursday evening.

The agency also provided these recommendations as the storm nears:

• Identify outdoor items that could become airborne or pose a threat to your property and take action.
• If your area is prone to flooding or you consider your location unsafe, make sure to have an evacuation plan.
• If you have storm-related needs, fill out a request for assistance at the Vibrant Hawai‘i website or call Civil Defense at 808-935-0031.
• Text HawaiiAlerts to 888777 to stay informed with Civil Defense alerts.

Visit the Hawai‘i County Hazard Impact Map  for additional impact information.

Meanwhile, work continued Thursday to restore water, power and road access to communities around Hawai‘i Island hard-hit by Hurricane Lala, with fewer than 13,000 Hawaiian Electric customers still without power.

Heavy downpours from the approaching new system could pose a significant new hazard, especially in communities that received the worst impacts from Lala. National Hurricane Center forecasters report rainfall of up to 15 inches — or more in localized areas — could be produced by the new strom system in parts of the island.

With saturated soils and erosion from Hurricane Lala, new downpours could create increased risk for:

• Additional flooding in areas that flooded during the hurricane.
• New flooding in areas that had vegetation stripped away.
• Landslides and mudslides in areas of steep terrain.

“The impacts from this storm could fall heavily across Puna and Ka‘ū, which are recovering from the flooding and wind damage caused by Lala,” said Acting Hawai‘i County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira in the county release. “Don’t wait for flooding to develop — if you are at risk, get to a safer shelter before the new storm arrives.”

County workers are consulting with National Weather Service forecasters about the developing storm and making plans to reduce its impacts.

Stay informed

The county will provide updates as conditions evolve. Residents and visitors can receive emergency notifications by signing up online for Civil Defense emergency alerts.