HILO, Hawaii — Rain began falling Saturday as Hurricane Nolo bore down on the Hawaiian Islands, with officials warning about the potential for flash floods, dangerous winds and extreme surf in areas still recovering from previous storms.
Nolo was churning very slowly south of the Big Island with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph. Its center was about 160 miles south of Hawaii’s southernmost point, and it was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane through the weekend while traveling westward to the south of the islands.
While direct landfall by the storm’s center was not expected, forecasters said it could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island expected to see rainfall totals up to 20 inches. Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.
Hawaii braces for Hurricane Nolo
“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.
The humanitarian nonprofit group CORE and other partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August’s Hurricane Lala.
Residents are still recovering from Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.
National Guard specialist Sherie Kaili was on the ground during Lala and recalled dire conditions.
“Pitch black, you know, service went down, electric was down, rivers came out of nowhere,” she told NBC News on Saturday.
Thus far, Nolo seems to be faring better than Lala for the Big Island. The National Guard had no rescues missions overnight, said Maj. Keoki Leong of the Hawaii Army National Guard.
Hawaii prepares for northern edge of Nolo
About a dozen people were in the water Saturday morning at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island, despite signs saying the strand was closed. Andrea Gill was out for her regular swim before heading back home to hunker down with family.
“I hope it stops just sitting there and moves and goes somewhere else,” Gill said.
Shop owners boarded up businesses, and events were canceled. Gill said storms are common, but hurricanes are rare. She was holding out hope that the islands might not get the full impact.
“We’re used to lots of rain. We’re not used to wind. So it’s always a blessing when we don’t get the wind from the hurricane,” she said.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the state Friday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.
Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating hundreds of Hawaii National Guard members.
Hawaii County authorities on the Big Island urged people in flood-prone areas to consider taking refuge at shelters or elsewhere.
Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell returned to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the storm.
The Pacific has been unusually active this season, according to weather service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Nino years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
Powerful Polo on forecast path toward Mexico
Meanwhile Mexico was under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it headed toward the Baja California Peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast. Polo had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, making it a Category 4 storm, but it was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall Monday.
One of the towns in the hurricanes projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast where access to basic needs is already fickle.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
The town has only had full-time electricity for a couple of years, and it still experiences frequent outages. Without power, residents can’t refrigerate food or pump water. The closest gas station is so far away that fuel is stored in and sold from tanks, and supply frequently runs out if there is high demand.
Robles Meza said the community feels left to brace itself for the storm without the help of authorities.
“We must prepare on our own — each of us protecting our homes and belongings,” she said, adding that she wished officials would pre-position heavy machinery for clearing roads, along with emergency generators.
For now, she said, the only plan is to convert the local elementary school into a shelter.
“While this is important, we also have other impacts to consider,” Robles Meza said, like what the town will do if it is cut off from help.
San Juanico has experienced late-summer storms, but Polo feels different, said Jeffrey Westman, an American who was first drawn to the town’s world-class surf break 40 years ago and owns a property there.
“During the last couple of years, the storms have felt big and strong and scary,” said Westman, 63, who was in Europe at the moment but worried for the locals, particularly about their ability to receive food deliveries or reach larger grocery stores if road access is cut off.
Washed-out roads could also block access to the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitucion.
Westman said hopes Polo behaves as some past storms have, losing intensity before reaching the peninsula.
“A lot of times they do start petering out,” he said. “I’m hoping that’s the case.”
