Hurricane Lane: Hawaii’s Big Island soaked with 12 inches of rain as Category 4 storm hits

FEMA says 'Hawaii is going to be impacted. The question is: how bad?'

Hawaii's Big Island was hit with 12 inches of rain in as many hours as the outer bands of Hurricane Lane swept towards the archipelago.

Residents braced for landslides and widespread flooding as the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) helped state authorities prepare for its arrival. Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for the islands.

He tweeted “you are in our thoughts!” to the people of the state.

FEMA administrator Brock Long said there “is a lot of uncertainty” about the Category 4 storm’s forecasted path and intensity. “What is for sure: Hawaii is going to be impacted. The question is: how bad?,” he said at a news conference ahead of the storm’s landfall.

Mr Long confirmed the agency has several barges with food, water, and supplies it moved into the region ahead of Hurricane Hector, which skirted past the islands over a week ago.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell told Hawaii News Now: “Some people might say, ‘Another hurricane, it didn’t hit us last time, we don’t need to worry.’ No, we got to plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

The National Weather Service reported the speed of the hurricane had dropped to 130mph, but meteorologists say that may lead to prolonged bands of rain, possibly causing inland floods and landslides.

It also warned that some areas could see up to 30 inches of rain before the system passes.

Bands of rain on Oahu have already extended 350 miles from the hurricane‘s centre, and 20 to 30 feet swells have been reported from some parts of the Big Island’s southern coast.

Lane was not projected to make direct hit on the islands, but officials warned that even a lesser blow could do significant harm.

“You do not need a direct strike to have major impacts from a hurricane this strong,” said Steve Goldstein, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told the Associated Press.

Residents of the islands began stockpiling groceries for 14 days, per emergency officials guidelines, with bottled water and canned meat Spam selling out the quickest.

Several grocery stories were left with empty shelves as the outer bands of the storm hit the eastern islands.

Shelters are open for residents, but officials warned to use them as a “last resort” because many are not built to handle winds of more than 40mph.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator Tom Travis said there’s not enough shelter space statewide and advised those who are not in flood zones to stay home.

Of concern on the island of Oahu, which was put on a hurricane warning late Wednesday, is Hawaii’s homeless population – many of whom live near beaches and streams that could flood.

Hawaii has been no stranger to dire natural disasters this year. Mount Kilauea has been spewing lava all summer along the southeastern coastline.

Fortunately for residents new lava flow stopped on 9 August according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Without much lava reaching the ocean, the hurricane may not have too much of an impact on the volcano area, Denison University Geophysicist Erik Klemetti told CNN.

A search and rescue team of 36 members based in Menlo Park, California, has been sent to Hawaii ahead of Hurricane Lane’s landfall.

California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 3 is one of 28 such teams across the country, eight of which are based in California.

Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman told the local CBS News affiliate: “The task forces are the Swiss Army knives of technical rescue operations and this configuration is specific to a smaller, more focused, water rescue capable unit that can operate in a dynamic field environment for 10 to 14 days”.

Residents have expressed concern over what will happen if the hurricane is more devastating than expected and if the federal government’s response will be the same as it was in Puerto Rico in 2017.

Unlike citizens of Florida during Hurricane Irma and Texas at the time of Hurricane Harvey who had some option to travel outside of the path of the storms, many Puerto Ricans had nowhere to shelter from Hurricane Maria due to it being a small island.

Mr Trump and FEMA’s response to the disaster relief needed was criticised for being near-sighted and ill-prepared. It took nearly 9 months and $4bn (£3.1bn) to restore electricity to the island after the hurricane.

The last time a major hurricane hit Hawaii was 11 September 1992. Hurricane Inki was a Category 4 storm just like Lane.

When Inki made landfall it passed north of Kauai it caused $3bn in damages.

The Red Cross estimated it had destroyed or damaged nearly 15,000 homes and remains the costliest storm to hit the islands.

Six people were killed from injuries related to the hurricane and more than 100 were injured.