Hawaii Schools Close, Preparations Underway Ahead of Potential Back-to-Back Hurricanes

Ada Carr
Published: August 30,2016
Residents in Hawaii are preparing for the possibility of back-to-back hurricanes - an unprecedented weather event if both Hurricane Madeline and Hurricane Lester strike the state.
Several schools have already announced closures ahead of the storms, KHON2.com reports. A list of the closed schools can be found here.
According to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, emergency officials have started door-to-door notifications in some flood prone areas, and Big Island Interim Civil Defense Administrator Ed Teixeira said he’s meeting with community partners to discuss school closures and the possibility of opening evacuation shelters.
The National Hurricane Center warned that storm will pass "dangerously close" to the Big Island Wednesday and Wednesday night.
(MORE: Hurricane Watch Issued: Madeline Threatening Hawaii)
"This looks like potentially the strongest tropical cyclone, which includes hurricanes and tropical storms, to approach very close to the coast in the past several years," Central Pacific Hurricane Center meteorologist Chris Brenchley told Hawaii News Now.
Residents aren’t taking any chances; the KTA Super Store in Hilo was packed with shoppers on Monday stocking up on food and water, HNN reported.
"I just want to be prepared in case electricity and water are out for a couple days," shopper Karen Tonita told HNN.
City officials want to be ready as well. Federal, state and county agencies met Monday at Hilo's Emergency Operations Center on the Big Island to discuss preparedness plans, HNN also reported.
(MORE: Back-to-Back Hawaii Hurricanes Would be Unprecedented)
"We've been engaged in preparing our base yards, vehicles and equipment to be able to respond to any issues as they arise," Ross Sasamura, Director of the Department of Facility Maintenance, told HNN.
Workers have been clearing and cleaning flood-prone areas and streams across Oahu, KITV.com reports.
"The areas that are more trouble-prone are areas that flow into the ocean where accumulated sand and other debris pose risk to flowage of storm water," Department of Facilities Management spokesperson Ross Sasamura told KITV.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency canceled a test of the state’s emergency sirens scheduled for Wednesday. Emergency management officials expressed concern that the public might think the tests were real warnings ahead of the two storms.
“The less confusion, the better,” said EMA administrator Vern Miyagi said in a release. “Siren testing will resume in October. Any siren sounding before then should be taken seriously.”
The Coast Guard has instructed mariners to secure their boats and boating equipment, according to a release. Owners of large boats are encourage to move them to protected marinas where they're less likely to break free of moorings. Smaller boats should be pulled from the water and stored in a place not prone to flooding and protected from high winds. All loose items aboard the vessels should be secured or removed.
Hawaiian Airlines announced Tuesday that it will be waiving flight changing fees to and from the Big Island, according to a release. Tickets issued on or before Aug. 30 and flights originally scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 are eligible.
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