The County of Hawai‘i is urging residents and visitors to prepare for another potential wave of heavy rain this weekend as a tropical disturbance strengthens and moves toward the state.
Work continued Thursday to restore water, power and road access to hard-hit communities across Hawai‘i Island, with fewer than 13,000 customers still without electricity.
But heavy downpours from the new system could pose a significant new hazard, especially in communities that were hit hard by Hurricane Lala. The National Weather Service (NWS) noted that rainfall of 15 inches or more could be produced by the system over parts of Hawai‘i.
“We encourage everyone to take this new storm seriously and prepare for its expected arrival on Saturday,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda. “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.”
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Tropical Depression Two-C was about 900 miles east-southeast of Hilo, with maximum sustained winds of 35 miles an hour and moving to the west-northwest at about 15 miles an hour. It is expected to strengthen into a tropical storm as it approaches the State of Hawai‘i, with a preliminary track that would take it near or just south of Hawai‘i Island.
With saturated soils and erosion from Hurricane Lala, new downpours could create increased risk for:
- Additional flooding in areas that flooded in the last storm.
- New flooding from areas that had vegetation stripped away.
- Landslides and mudslides in 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 Darryl Oliveira, acting Administrator of Hawai‘i County Civil Defense. “Don’t wait for flooding to develop – if you are at risk, get to a safer shelter before the new storm arrives.”
County workers have been consulting with NWS throughout the week about the developing storm and making plans to reduce its impacts. Civil Defense urges everyone on Hawaiʻi Island to review their emergency plans, check and replenish supplies, and stay informed.
Stay Informed
The County will provide updates as conditions evolve. Residents and visitors can receive emergency notifications by signing up for Civil Defense alerts at their website. Sign up for Civil Defense emergency alerts at
bit.ly/HCCDAlerts.
View the County Hazard Impact Map here.
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The County of Hawai‘i is urging residents and visitors to prepare for another potential wave of heavy rain this weekend as a tropical disturbance strengthens and moves toward the state.