Hawaii escapes major hit from dual hurricanes

Iselle made landfall on the southern part of the Big Island of Hawaii near Pahala around 2:30 a.m. local time as a tropical storm, downgraded from a hurricane. There are early reports of flooding, trees down and power outages, and a flash flood warning remains in effect for all of Hawaii.

Schools, stores and county offices are closed across the islands, and non-essential state employees were told to stay home as well. There is debris on the roads because of the high winds, and residents and tourists have been encouraged to stay home or in their hotels. Hawaii Electric Company reports approximately 21,900 residents have lost power on Hawaii, and is asking customers to minimize their energy use because of a power generation shortfall.

Mike Cantin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, says the Big Island could see anywhere from 8 inches to more than a foot of rain. Maui could see 3-5 inches. Oahu and Kauai will also see significant rain totals from Iselle, but could be more impacted by Hurricane Julio, which is currently a Category 2 hurricane. It is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it passes northeast of Oahu and Maui on Sunday.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said Iselle is tracking to the south of Oahu, so Honolulu will not feel the full effect of the storm. There are 10 shelters open on the island for residents and more than 95,000 tourists are riding out the storm in hotels along Waikiki Beach. The city is running 28 buses to bring workers into Waikiki to serve tourists, but the general message is that residents should stay home if possible. There are 10-15 foot waves on the water and high tides at 2:30 p.m. (HST) are expected to be three feet above normal. All beaches and camp grounds are closed, and residents should stay away from known flood zones.

Chief Darryl Oliveira with Hawaii County Civil Defense said they will be doing an assessment of damage by air this morning on the Big Island. He said there are trees and power lines down, as well as some flooding. They are looking to reopen the roads as soon as possible, but advised people to stay home until they are given the all clear.

Only essential personnel are required to report at the various military bases across the islands. The U.S. Navy has set Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness FOUR for the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Oahu and the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, since destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are anticipated. On Twitter, FEMA is cautioning residents to stay inside during high winds and stay away from windows.  

Jason Princenthal with AirCare Environmental Services, Inc. in Honolulu, was on the Big Island yesterday covering windows and taping his home near the Volcano National Park area to protect it from the storm. He said they've seen a lot of rain, but he had not received any updates regarding damage.

While the islands were spared the high winds of a Category 1 hurricane, since Iselle did not pass over the Big Island as quickly as anticipated, flooding will be a much larger issue for residents. The ground will be saturated by the time Julio arrives on Sunday, and there are concerns about mudslides as the water travels down from the mountains.

Businesses have been preparing for the storm for several days. BELFOR Property Restoration has been assisting clients with preparations across the islands. Drew Chamberlain, general manager for BELFOR's Hawaii office explained that on Oahu, the windward side of the island often gets the brunt of the wind under normal conditions, and residents there took precautions to board up their buildings and gather supplies.

He says that mudslides will be a very real danger after the rain stops because drainage will be an issue for the island. “Canals are not well defined here, and there are no manmade culverts to divert water like there are on the mainland. Water follows a natural course here and there are a lot of steep ridges and ranges. Flash flooding happens really fast because of that.” Hard rains are capable of turning valleys into flood zones with dangerous mud slides.

Chamberlain says trees are already down on Oahu because the ground is saturated from the rain. “Even a smaller storm can wash away entire neighborhoods and we're expecting that on the east side of the Big Island.” Many of the homes in Hilo are the oldest in Hawaii. With their single-wall construction, they are not built to withstand high winds and may experience more damage from the storms.

Recovery efforts and damage assessments will begin as soon as Iselle passes through. With operations on Oahu, Maui and Hawaii, the company is equipped to meet immediate needs in terms of generators, cables, dehumidifiers and air conditioners. But since everything needs to be flown to Hawaii from the mainland, getting supplies for residents will take time. An ocean shipping company can carry supplies between the islands in about three days. Shipping supplies from the West Coast can take as long as eight days; air freight can ship faster, but costs far more.

Despite the heavy rains, damage to the island should be far less than originally anticipated. When Hurricane Iniki struck Hawaii in 1992 as a Category 4 hurricane, it caused approximately $1.6 billion in insured losses. Dr. Robert Hartwig, president of the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) says that loss would be equal to $2.7 billion in 2014 dollars.