Hurricane Douglas is closing in fast on Hawaii, threatening “significant impacts” to the island chain as local COVID-19 cases surge to record levels.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, Douglas had weakened to a Category 1 hurricane while spiraling toward Hawaii, some 325 miles west of Hilo and about 500 miles from Honolulu.
Forecasters with the Central Pacific Hurricane Center expect the storm will pass over or close to the islands as a low-end hurricane or a high-end tropical storm with the capacity to cause tremendous damage.
The 11 am update on Hurricane Douglas’ course toward the Hawaiian Islands.
Central Pacific Hurricane Center
A hurricane warning is now in effect for Oahu — upgraded from a “watch” earlier Saturday. That means forecasters expect a cyclone of that strength might impact the state’s most populous island in the next 36 hours.
Robert Ballard, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center’s science and operations officer, said Oahu could see those effects Sunday.
The Big island and Maui County remain under a tropical storm warning, meaning they’re expected to see effects from a storm of at least that strength in the next 36 hours. They’re also under a hurricane watch, meaning a hurricane-strength storm is still possible there. Kauai County is under a tropical storm watch.
Officials with the hurricane center said they expect the storm to bring heavy and life-threatening surf to the islands’ north- and east-facing shores.
State transportation officials said Friday that they were bracing for Hawaii Belt Road in Hamakua on the Big island, Hana Highway on Maui and Kamehameha Highway on Oahu’s Windward side.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard was working to shore up ports and clear out harbors.
Not Your Usual Hurricane Supply Kit
Ballard’s warning came shortly after state health officials announced 73 new COVID-19 cases statewide Saturday. Hawaii has now broken its single-day record for cases for three consecutive days and there are concerns over the ability of the disease to spread further if large numbers of residents must pack into emergency shelters.
During back-to-back media briefings Friday, Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell urged local residents to replenish their 14-day hurricane kits not only with the usual food, water, medicine and the other supplies — but also multiple face masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to help guard against COVID-19.
For Oahu, Caldwell said officials would open as many as 25 emergency shelters in the next day or so. How many and where, exactly, would depend on the path of the storm.
Carlos Mozo fills sand bags in preparation for flooding from Hurricane Douglas in Hauula on the windward side of Oahu, Saturday.
Ronen Zilberman/Civil Beat
The local Red Cross, meanwhile, put out the call for more healthy, adult volunteers to help manage expanded emergency shelter space.
“We know that the shelters, with the social distancing, are just not going to be able to handle the numbers that they normally would,” Regional Red Cross CEO Diane Peters-Nguyen said Friday.
Those interested should call 739-8122 or visit redcross.org/hawaii.
Such emergency shelters are considered a last resort if sheltering in place doesn’t work and there’s no other place to go. Anyone who arrives at those emergency shelters will be temperature screened, officials said Friday.
In non-pandemic times, Honolulu officials allow for about 10 square feet per evacuee in an emergency shelter. During a pandemic, they’ve estimated they’ll need about 10 times that amount so the evacuees can stay socially distant.
Honolulu Director of Emergency Management Hiro Toya called it a “huge challenge” in May.
City and state officials have been trying to negotiate a deal with hotels to use some of the many rooms left vacant by the pandemic. On Friday, as Douglas neared, they said they’re still working on it but no such deal has been reached.
The storm will also allow new arrivals to the islands to break the 14-day quarantine “as a last resort” to go pick up hurricane supplies if they can’t get those delivered, Ige said.
He stressed, however, that those arrivals should make arrangements to have the supplies delivered to their quarantine site.
Some updates on Oahu’s city services include:
- Trash-collection operations will shut down Monday but crews plan to make up those trash collections on Tuesday.
- All 16 city campgrounds are closed through Wednesday — any permits to use them during that time have been suspended and users will get information on how to get a refund, parks officials said.
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Oahu Now Under Hurricane Warning As Douglas Approaches - Honolulu Civil Beat
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