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| Hurricane Lane: Hawaii Warned of ‘Life-Threatening Impacts’ From Storm | Hurricane Lane: Hawaii Warned of ‘Life-Threatening Impacts’ From Storm |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Rain lashed Hawaii’s Big Island on Thursday as Hurricane Lane barreled through the Pacific Ocean as a Category 4 storm, threatening to be the first hurricane to make landfall on the islands since 1992. | Rain lashed Hawaii’s Big Island on Thursday as Hurricane Lane barreled through the Pacific Ocean as a Category 4 storm, threatening to be the first hurricane to make landfall on the islands since 1992. |
| Even if it does not make landfall, the National Weather Service warned, the storm could bring “life-threatening impacts,” including hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and flash flooding. The storm’s outer rain bands had put much of the eastern part of the Big Island of Hawaii under a flash flood warning by Thursday morning, and one site in Hilo had already recorded more than 18 inches of rain. | Even if it does not make landfall, the National Weather Service warned, the storm could bring “life-threatening impacts,” including hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and flash flooding. The storm’s outer rain bands had put much of the eastern part of the Big Island of Hawaii under a flash flood warning by Thursday morning, and one site in Hilo had already recorded more than 18 inches of rain. |
| Officials warned that the unpredictable track of the hurricane left much of the state potentially vulnerable. | Officials warned that the unpredictable track of the hurricane left much of the state potentially vulnerable. |
| “Hawaii is going to be impacted by Hurricane Lane, the question is how bad,” said Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “We’re extremely concerned about the potentials for inland flooding, landslides occurring, and damage to the transportation, communications infrastructure.” | “Hawaii is going to be impacted by Hurricane Lane, the question is how bad,” said Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “We’re extremely concerned about the potentials for inland flooding, landslides occurring, and damage to the transportation, communications infrastructure.” |
| Here are the latest developments: | Here are the latest developments: |
| • As of Thursday morning, local time, Hurricane Lane was 205 miles southwest of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island and 290 miles south of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles an hour. It was moving northwest at about 7 miles an hour and was expected to make a northward turn, with the potential to pass dangerously close to islands like Maui, Moloka’i and Oahu on Friday night. | • As of Thursday morning, local time, Hurricane Lane was 205 miles southwest of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island and 290 miles south of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles an hour. It was moving northwest at about 7 miles an hour and was expected to make a northward turn, with the potential to pass dangerously close to islands like Maui, Moloka’i and Oahu on Friday night. |
| • Lane was expected to bring tropical storm and hurricane-force winds to parts of Hawaii, with up to 30 inches of rain in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. | • Lane was expected to bring tropical storm and hurricane-force winds to parts of Hawaii, with up to 30 inches of rain in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. |
| • President Trump issued an emergency declaration for the state on Thursday morning, authorizing FEMA to coordinate relief efforts. | |
| • The state’s 15 airports were set to remain open during the storm, barring infrastructure damage. As of Thursday morning, flightaware.com reported some delays at airports across the islands. | • The state’s 15 airports were set to remain open during the storm, barring infrastructure damage. As of Thursday morning, flightaware.com reported some delays at airports across the islands. |
| • The County of Hawaii Civil Defense agency said flooding and landslides had closed some roads, including Highway 19 north of Hilo, and waters were rising in creeks and streams. | • The County of Hawaii Civil Defense agency said flooding and landslides had closed some roads, including Highway 19 north of Hilo, and waters were rising in creeks and streams. |
| Alex Gibbs, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, said that such a powerful hurricane coming so close to Hawaii was “a very rare event.” | Alex Gibbs, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu, said that such a powerful hurricane coming so close to Hawaii was “a very rare event.” |
| Only two Category 5 storms have passed within 350 miles south of the Big Island in the agency’s record-keeping, he said. The last was John, in August 1994; that storm passed on the westward side of the islands and had “very little impact.” Lane was at one point also a Category 5 before weakening on its approach. | Only two Category 5 storms have passed within 350 miles south of the Big Island in the agency’s record-keeping, he said. The last was John, in August 1994; that storm passed on the westward side of the islands and had “very little impact.” Lane was at one point also a Category 5 before weakening on its approach. |
| In 1992, Hurricane Iniki made a sharp turn and veered into Kauai as a Category 4 storm. It killed six people and left about $3 billion worth of damage, leveling more than 1,400 homes and leaving more than 14,000 with at least some level of damage. Power and phone lines were out for weeks throughout the island, and crops like banana and papaya were destroyed. | In 1992, Hurricane Iniki made a sharp turn and veered into Kauai as a Category 4 storm. It killed six people and left about $3 billion worth of damage, leveling more than 1,400 homes and leaving more than 14,000 with at least some level of damage. Power and phone lines were out for weeks throughout the island, and crops like banana and papaya were destroyed. |
| Such passes are so rare, in part, because “the islands are very small with respect to the central Pacific Ocean basin,” Mr. Gibbs said. (Other conditions that make Hawaii an infrequent target of hurricanes include the cooler water temperatures near the islands and wind shear, which weakens storms.) | Such passes are so rare, in part, because “the islands are very small with respect to the central Pacific Ocean basin,” Mr. Gibbs said. (Other conditions that make Hawaii an infrequent target of hurricanes include the cooler water temperatures near the islands and wind shear, which weakens storms.) |
| The situation with Lane, however, is “quite a bit different” than usual, Mr. Gibbs said. | The situation with Lane, however, is “quite a bit different” than usual, Mr. Gibbs said. |
| The danger felt new and deeply unsettling to some residents, who heeded the Weather Service’s advice that preparations to safeguard life and property should be “rushed to completion.” | The danger felt new and deeply unsettling to some residents, who heeded the Weather Service’s advice that preparations to safeguard life and property should be “rushed to completion.” |
| “Maui has not faced anything like this before. It’s serious,” Audrey Reed, 76, a resident of that island, said on Wednesday. “We’ve got everything we need: batteries, water, canned and dry foods, medication, first-aid kit, flashlights. It’s just a matter now of hunkering down and trying to ride it out.” | “Maui has not faced anything like this before. It’s serious,” Audrey Reed, 76, a resident of that island, said on Wednesday. “We’ve got everything we need: batteries, water, canned and dry foods, medication, first-aid kit, flashlights. It’s just a matter now of hunkering down and trying to ride it out.” |
| The agency’s forecast anticipates that the storm will weaken significantly as it moves toward land. Still, Lane is expected to bring heavy damage to the main Hawaiian islands with winds that will accelerate along steep mountain slopes and tall buildings. | The agency’s forecast anticipates that the storm will weaken significantly as it moves toward land. Still, Lane is expected to bring heavy damage to the main Hawaiian islands with winds that will accelerate along steep mountain slopes and tall buildings. |
| The fact that Lane is a slow-moving storm means it is likely to dump prodigious amounts of rain, as well, with “life-threatening flash flooding and landslides over all Hawaiian islands,” the Weather Service said. | The fact that Lane is a slow-moving storm means it is likely to dump prodigious amounts of rain, as well, with “life-threatening flash flooding and landslides over all Hawaiian islands,” the Weather Service said. |
| Hawaii’s remote geography and mountainous terrain could pose challenges for recovery in the event of widespread damage, and Gov. David Ige urged people to have a 14-day supply of food stocked up before the storm. | |
| This is the third time in less than a year that Hawaii has braced for potential disaster. In January, an errant emergency alert about an incoming ballistic missile triggered an island-wide panic. In May, the Kilauea volcano began to erupt, sending lava rolling over roads and homes in the same area that is now under a flash flood watch. | This is the third time in less than a year that Hawaii has braced for potential disaster. In January, an errant emergency alert about an incoming ballistic missile triggered an island-wide panic. In May, the Kilauea volcano began to erupt, sending lava rolling over roads and homes in the same area that is now under a flash flood watch. |
| As some tourists tried to decide whether to stay or to go, many residents seemed to take the hurricane in stride. | As some tourists tried to decide whether to stay or to go, many residents seemed to take the hurricane in stride. |
| On a ridge overlooking the enormous volcanic cone known as Diamond Head, Bob Larsen brought in the outdoor furniture and made pancakes on Thursday morning, just as he had the day of the missile warning in January. | |
| The dire storm warnings made for a jarring juxtaposition with the stunning environs, but Mr. Larsen and his partner, Irna Hirano, 70, a retired schoolteacher, hoped they were prepared. | |
| “We have water, canned and dried food, and a freezer full of provisions,” Ms. Hirano said. She hoped their solar power system would provide enough energy to keep the lights and refrigerator running through the storm. | |
| Irene Tanabe, 67, an Episcopal rector in Honolulu, said her parishioners were taking the impending storm in stride. “Nothing we can do about it,” she said. | |
| But Ms. Tanabe expressed mild concern about her house, which is not retrofitted for a hurricane. “If the roof blows off, that means I will have less stuff,” Ms. Tanabe said. “And at my age, that’s a good thing.” | |
| Elsewhere in Honolulu, caseworkers and outreach workers for the homeless were trying to warn their clients that the storm could be dangerous. There are some 7,000 or 8,000 homeless people on the island of Oahu, said Kimo Carvalho with the Institute for Human Services, a nonprofit group. Her organization was making phone calls and combing the streets, trying to get people into shelters. | |
| “There are actually a lot of homeless clients right now that are saying, ‘We’re going to ride out the storm,’” Mr. Carvalho said. “We’re trying to convince them to take it seriously.” | |
| Climate change does not cause hurricanes; they have always been a feature of both the Atlantic and Pacific basins. But scientists said that climate change can make hurricanes like Lane more damaging for a number of reasons. | Climate change does not cause hurricanes; they have always been a feature of both the Atlantic and Pacific basins. But scientists said that climate change can make hurricanes like Lane more damaging for a number of reasons. |
| Kristen Corbosiero, an associate professor in the atmospheric environmental sciences department of the University at Albany, noted that “it’s hard to attribute climate change to any one system,” but she said that scientific research shows that climate change has led to rising sea levels, which can worsen storm surge. And warming puts more moisture in the atmosphere, producing greater amounts of rainfall. | Kristen Corbosiero, an associate professor in the atmospheric environmental sciences department of the University at Albany, noted that “it’s hard to attribute climate change to any one system,” but she said that scientific research shows that climate change has led to rising sea levels, which can worsen storm surge. And warming puts more moisture in the atmosphere, producing greater amounts of rainfall. |
| In a place like Hawaii, that means flooding and mudslides. In addition, she said, recent research suggests that climate change has led to a trend of storms moving more slowly. “Those all spell greater damage from hurricanes,” she said. | In a place like Hawaii, that means flooding and mudslides. In addition, she said, recent research suggests that climate change has led to a trend of storms moving more slowly. “Those all spell greater damage from hurricanes,” she said. |
| Research compiled by the Climate Signals website also suggests that climate change appears to be causing the most powerful storms to become even stronger than they otherwise would be. Warming ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific are increasing the energy that passing storms can pick up; sea surface temperatures along Lane’s path have been more than four degrees Fahrenheit above average this summer. | Research compiled by the Climate Signals website also suggests that climate change appears to be causing the most powerful storms to become even stronger than they otherwise would be. Warming ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific are increasing the energy that passing storms can pick up; sea surface temperatures along Lane’s path have been more than four degrees Fahrenheit above average this summer. |
| Hurricane Lane arrives as other parts of the nation are still recovering from the megastorms of 2017. Hurricane Harvey hit Houston almost exactly one year ago, causing dozens of deaths and catastrophic flooding, and it was followed by Hurricane Irma’s wallop to Florida. | Hurricane Lane arrives as other parts of the nation are still recovering from the megastorms of 2017. Hurricane Harvey hit Houston almost exactly one year ago, causing dozens of deaths and catastrophic flooding, and it was followed by Hurricane Irma’s wallop to Florida. |
| Then came Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which may have killed more than 1,400 people, according to one analysis, and caused massive power outages. Some of the last residents were still getting their power back earlier this month. | Then came Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which may have killed more than 1,400 people, according to one analysis, and caused massive power outages. Some of the last residents were still getting their power back earlier this month. |