advertisement

Tropical storm dumps rain on Hawaii while crossing state

HONOLULU - Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii's Maui island but spared the state widespread damage before continuing out to sea.

Tropical Storm Olivia crossed the state Wednesday, making landfall on Maui and Lanai islands along the way.

Weather forecasters warned heavy rains would continue through Thursday but Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa said he was hopeful the effects of the storm would be limited.

"It's been an ordeal but we're coming through this fairly well," Arakawa said at a news conference. "I'm not seeing any really large areas of damage, no homes destroyed or flooded to any kind of extreme measures as we did in previous storms."

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center said Olivia was more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu late Wednesday. It was moving west with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), just barely strong enough to qualify as a tropical storm.

The hurricane center said Olivia will likely weaken further and become a tropical depression by Thursday.

Maui County said several homes in Lahaina had to be evacuated because of rising waters in a nearby river. Another home in Waihee Valley was evacuated.

Kahulu Peltier-Yaw said she saw gushing water from an overflowing river blocking at least one part of eastern Molokai's only highway. She said it's common for the highway to become impassable when there's heavy rain.

A flash flood warning was issued for Molokai island and Maui. A wind gust of 51 mph (82 kph) was recorded at the airport on the island of Lanai.

A rain gauge recorded 9 inches (22 centimeters) of rain at West Wailua Iki on Maui.

The storm, which was a hurricane earlier in the week, slowly lost power as it neared the state.

Forecasters cancelled a tropical storm warning for Oahu and Maui late Wednesday after the storm moved far enough south to put the islands out of range for stronger winds.

Matthew Foster, a meteorologist with the hurricane center, said moisture from Olivia will linger through Friday even though the wind threat has died. This, combined with an upper level system, may trigger heavy rain and possibly thunderstorms on Kauai, Oahu and possibly Molokai, he said.

Honolulu's H-1 freeway flooded under similar circumstances two years ago after Tropical Storm Darby passed the state and dissipated, he noted.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell both said they were keeping an eye on the leftover moisture.

"We're all being cautious. We all do need to be very cautious until tomorrow," Caldwell said.

Schools, courts and government offices were closed in Maui County in preparation for the storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent emergency teams and supplies to Maui ahead of the storm. The National Guard has mobilized personnel and trucks to the east side of Maui.

President Donald Trump has signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii, which will help FEMA respond, the governor said.

Hawaiian Airlines cancelled flights by its commuter airline, Ohana by Hawaiian.

Public schools on the Big Island, Oahu and Kauai were open.

Tourists, like Randy McQuay from Texas, weren't letting the storm dampen their vacations. "No, coming from Houston we're used to storms and hurricanes," he said. "Didn't expect to find one in Hawaii, but yeah we're used to it."

Solana Miller, who lives on Oahu's North Shore, said she wasn't too worried about Olivia.

She has leftover preparations from when Hurricane Lane passed near the state last month.

"We kind of just kept all the water and the cans of food and stuff," she said, "so if anything really hits we'll be fine."

Associated Press writers Caleb Jones in Honolulu and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.

This Wednesday Sept. 12, 2018, photo shows floodwater in the parking lot of a condo complex at Kahana Village in Lahaina, Hawaii. Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii's Maui island. (Lauren Greer via AP)
This Wednesday Sept. 12, 2018, photo shows floodwater in the parking lot of a condo complex at Kahana Village in Lahaina, Hawaii. Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii's Maui island. (Lauren Greer via AP)
This Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, photo shows waterfalls flowing into Iao Valley on Mauna Kahalawai in Hawaii. Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii's Maui island. (Aaron Najera via AP)
This Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, photo shows waterfalls flowing into Iao Valley on Mauna Kahalawai in Hawaii. Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii's Maui island. (Aaron Najera via AP)
This Wednesday Sept. 12, 2018, photo shows a flooded lower Honoapiilani Road in Kahana, Maui. Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii's Maui island. (Aaron Blaine via AP)
This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Transportation shows tree limbs that have blocked the Hana Highway near Hana on the island of Maui Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Maui was hit with heavy rain and powerful winds Wednesday as a gradually weakening tropical storm neared Hawaii, with forecasters predicting Tropical Storm Olivia could dump 5 to 10 inches (12 to 25 centimeters) of rain. Some places could get as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters). (Hawaii Department of Transportation via AP)
This photo provided by the Hawaii Department of Transportation shows tree limbs that have blocked the Hana Highway near Hana on the island of Maui Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Maui was hit with heavy rain and powerful winds Wednesday as a gradually weakening tropical storm neared Hawaii, with forecasters predicting Tropical Storm Olivia could dump 5 to 10 inches (12 to 25 centimeters) of rain. Some places could get as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters). (Hawaii Department of Transportation via AP)
Waves break as Tropical Storm Olivia approaches Oahu, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 in Laie, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
A couple walks in a rainstorm amid heavy traffic in Paia, Hawaii, on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, as Tropical Storm Olivia marched closer to Maui. Olivia was expected to pass directly over Maui on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. (Matthew Thayer/The News via AP)
The sun rises on the eastern shore of Oahu, Hawaii, on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018. Tropical Storm Olivia dropped heavy rain on Maui and the Big Island on Wednesday, and the impacts from the weakening storm were later expected on Oahu. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
The sun rises as Tropical Storm Olivia approaches Oahu, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 near Kaaawa, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Waves break as Tropical Storm Olivia approaches Oahu, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 in Laie, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Brent Caldwell, a tourist from Texas, looks out at the ocean as Tropical Storm Olivia approaches Oahu, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 near Laie, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.