The Latest on Hurricane Lane (all times local):
HONOLULU — The Latest on Hurricane Lane (all times local):
9:55 a.m.
U. S. officials say a hurricane hitting Hawaii is likely to bring severe flooding and mudslides and they are preparing for the worst.
Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said Friday that three urban search-and-rescue teams are in the state, plus food for up to six days and at least 80 generators, with more available after the storm clears.
The agency also has plans to move supplies to the islands hit hardest after the storm. It says about 2,000 people are in shelters, mostly in Oahu.
FEMA is tracking a brush fire in Maui that forced people to evacuate a storm shelter and said dozens of Coast Guard ships and helicopters on the island are ready to assist.
It’s not clear what caused the fire, which ignited as rain and wind lashed the island.
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9:55 a.m.
A woman who lives on the same street where six people were rescued from flooding as a hurricane hit Hawaii says « it was just like a torrent of water. »
Jessica Henricks said Friday that a normally low or dry creek bed on the Big Island overflowed and that water was surrounding the people who were rescued Thursday night.
She says trees and boulders blocked emergency vehicles from getting through, and officials warned neighbors to leave the area while they could.
Henricks and her family decided to stay for now. She says she’s lucky her house hasn’t flooded, though waters have receded a bit.
Hurricane Lane unleashed nearly 3 feet (1 meter) of rain over two days on the mostly rural Big Island, triggering flooding and landslides.
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9:15 a.m.
Hurricane Lane has knocked out electricity to thousands of people across the Hawaiian islands.
Hawaiian Electric spokesman Peter Rosegg said Friday that about 6,000 customers in Maui’s Lahaina community have lost power, though some have had it restored.
About 2,600 customers lack power on Molokai, a small island with about 7,000 residents. Rosegg say they may be without it for a long time.
Power outages affected about 4,000 people on the Big Island, which has seen nearly 3 feet (1 meter) of rain over two days.
More than 3,000 lost power overnight on Oahu as strong winds downed tree branches, but most of them had service quickly restored.
Rosegg says crews are trying to restore power to as many as possible before the worst of the storm hits the state’s most populated island. He says workers will be out until it’s no longer safe.
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8:40 a.m.
The National Guard and firefighters on the Big Island have rescued six people who were trapped in a flooded home as a hurricane unleashed torrential rain.
Hawaii County Managing Director Wil Okabe says no one was injured during the rescue Thursday night in Hilo, the largest town on the mostly rural island.
It’s still raining on the east side of the island, where crews are busy responding to landslides. Hurricane Lane has dumped as much as 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain over 48 hours.
Okabe says there’s waist-high flooding all over Hilo.
Hawaii County Civil Defense spokeswoman Kelly Wooten says it’s too early to tell how devastating the flooding is because it’s still occurring.
Road closures « seem to be changing by the minute. » She says when crews clear a road, landslides block other roads.
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6:30 a.m.
Hurricane Lane is taking a toll on roads on Hawaii’s Big Island.
Officials say three major roads were closed Friday because of flash flooding. Numerous secondary roads also were closed.
More than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain associated with the hurricane has fallen on the Big Island with some areas recording 35 inches (89 centimeters) in 48 hours.
Multiple landslides could force more closures. Officials say there’s currently only one highway for travel across the island.
On Oahu, winds picked up Thursday night and rain began falling shortly after the 6:13 a.m. sunrise.
On Maui, county spokesman Rod Antone says a brushfire spread to nearly 0.5 square miles (1.3 square kilometers).
He says hills and valleys of west Maui are dry and prone to burning and winds are fueling the flames.
Antone says homes may have been destroyed but that had not been confirmed.
A woman burned on the hands and legs was flown to Honolulu.
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6:10 a.m.
A brushfire on Hawaii’s island of Maui has forced the relocation of a shelter for people who were staying there as Hurricane Lane approaches.
Maui County officials say there’s a rapidly spreading fire Friday in the community of Lahaina Friday on the island’s western side. Nearby residents are being evacuated.
Officials as a precaution moved 26 people who evacuated because of the hurricane from a shelter at a Lahaina school to a civic center.
Maui County spokesman Rod Antone says it’s not clear if the fire is hurricane related.
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5:40 a.m.
A National Weather Service meteorologist describes flooding on Hawaii’s Big Island as catastrophic, with parts of the island soaked with 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain in 48 hours.
Chevy Chevalier says the « the sponge is full, » meaning the ground is so wet that additional rain to will pond up and flood.
The hurricane is moving away from the Big Island but could still drop more rain there.
The hurricane center is about 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of Honolulu and moving north at 5 mph (8 kph).
Oahu island before sunrise was getting slammed with wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph). Chevalier says Oahu and Maui are will face hurricane or tropical storm conditions later Friday.
Chevalier says a big concern is heavy rain flowing fast off the islands’ mountains and joining anticipated high surf and storm surge.
He says that leaves coastal areas vulnerable to flooding.
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5:05 a.m.
The National Weather Service says Hurricane Lane has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane as it approaches Hawaii.
The hurricane’s maximum sustained winds are now near 110 mph (175 kph) with higher gusts.
The service says some weakening is expected Friday but that the hurricane is expected to remain dangerous as it approaches Hawaii’s islands.
Hurricane warnings are in effect for the islands of Oahu, Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe. Hawaii’s Big Island has a tropical storm warning.
The service says Lane’s center will move dangerously close to some islands later Friday and Friday night.
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4:50 a.m.
Federal officials say it’s still unclear exactly how close Hurricane Lane will come to Hawaii. The storm is barreling north and was expected make a sharp Western turn, possibly passing dangerously close to the island chain.
The Category 3 hurricane has maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph).
Federal Emergency Management Administrator Brock Long said Friday morning at a briefing in Washington that emergency workers were focused on the safety and security of people and urged Hawaiians to heed warnings and get out of the storm’s path.
