The Central Pacific Hurricane Center of the U.S. National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning today, August 6 (local time), for Hawaii County in preparation of Hurricane Iselle. Maui and Oahu County have been placed under tropical storm warning, while a tropical storm watch is in effect for Kauai and Niihau. Iselle is expected to reach the Big Island at hurricane strength on Thursday and move across the state through Friday.
Closely following the track of Iselle, Hurricane Julio is also nearing the State of Hawaii and is expected to reach the islands as a tropical storm. Julio is expected to bring bands of rain, strong winds, and high surf to the islands as early as Sunday. The additional rainfall could exacerbate flooding caused by Iselle.
Residents are urged to remain calm and remember that preparedness and early warning saves lives. Additionally, residents should always stay tuned to official information sources and heed instructions from local emergency management officials.
The impending storms have prompted Governor Neil Abercrombie to sign an emergency proclamation that allows for easier access to emergency resources at state and federal levels. Many stakeholders across the State of Hawaii have also been diligently preparing for the arrival of Iselle and Julio, including Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), which is providing 24-hour support from its Maui headquarters, as well as at Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) state emergency operations center (EOC). Additionally, PDC representatives will be supporting activities at the Hawaii National Guard (HING) joint operations center (JOC) and for Joint Force Land Component Commander (JFLCC) EOC. The PDC Disaster Services Team is also coordinating closely with county EOCs requesting post impact damage and needs assessment mapping. Additional requests for support can be directed to response@pdc.org.
In advance of the hurricanes arrival, EOCs statewide are beginning to activate and are planning for potential impacts using PDC’s Emergency Operations (EMOPS) system, which provides emergency managers a secure environment for accessing, updating, and sharing critical information. If you are an emergency manager and would like access to the EMOPS systems, contact Pacific Disaster Center at disaster@pdc.org.
For more information on Tropical Cyclone Iselle and Julio:
• Read a past update on TC Iselle and Julio,
• Visit the NWS National Hurricane Center for the latest updates,
• Take a look at information from NASA,
• Refer to NOAA’s explanation of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, and
• Explore FastFollow to receive SMS messages from DisasterAWARE’s Twitter feed.
More resources for hurricane safety and preparedness:
• Read about this year’s 2014 Central Pacific Basin Hurricane Season,
• Hawaii Hazards Awareness & Resilience Program (HHARP) to enhance community resilience,
• Read about how parents can help kids learn about disaster preparedness, and
• Find out about Hawaii’s Statewide Hurricane Preparedness Exercise.
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