Editorial: Prepare for full season of storms

With Olivia’s powerful center slated to move over the state tonight and into Wednesday, use today to shake off Lane-related fatigue and wrap up another round of preparations. It’s time to trim tree branches that could snap in wind blasts, bag rain gutter-clogging debris and double- check disaster supply kits.

Olivia is expected to arrive as a tropical storm, with high likelihood of whipping our islands with winds, heavy rains and storm surge. And, yes, more flooding in already soaked areas struggling to recover from damage sustained in other recent storms.

We should take on hurricane season, which stretches from June to November, as a sort of marathon challenge rather than as a series of sprints that begin when Hawaii officials start tracking storms as they reach 140 degrees longitude — or roughly four or five days out.

Last summer, state emergency managers began urging residents to gather up 14 days’ worth of survival supplies rather than the previously recommended seven days. The extended preparation makes sense, given Hawaii’s apparent vulnerability to a hard-hitting storm and emerging climate-change issues as well as geographic isolation.

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency’s Preparedness Branch has warned that a major storm like Katrina or Irma could leave Honolulu Harbor in ruins, with cranes knocked down and channels blocked by debris, among other problems. And unlike mainland states, Hawaii has no neighboring jurisdictions to turn to for relatively quick relief supplies and support.

Last September, in the days before Hurricane Irma struck Florida, nearly 7 million residents left their homes to seek shelter and safety elsewhere, marking the largest hurricane evacuation in U.S. history. Of course, fleeing the scene is not an option for most of us living in Hawaii. And that, in turn, underscores the seasonal responsibility to prepare your household, and be ready to help neighbors.

During Lane’s dramatic approach, it packed sustained winds near 160 mph as a Category 5 hurricane on Aug. 21 — about three days before reaching the islands. State and county employees were directed to stay home when the storm was two days away. At that time, the storm was being compared to Hurricane Iniki, which devastated Kauai and parts of Oahu 26 years ago, causing $2 billion in damages.

Lane’s threat warranted the ample caution delivered by a joint county-state-federal effort. On Oahu, while the shuttering of government offices and public schools may have come a bit early as the storm’s speed slowed, the move served as a reminder that despite many years of near-misses, the island is not bulletproof.

In response, many residents took care to better protect their property and pull together a two-week stash of food, water and other emergency supplies, ranging from flashlights and batteries to basic tools and duct tape.

Arriving here at sub-hurricane strength, Lane spared much of the state of storm-fueled havoc — with exceptions on Hawaii island and Maui, which are still drying out and sizing up repairs and cleanup after torrential rainfall. On Oahu, Lane caused plenty of inconvenience, but it also served as an excellent drill or rehearsal.

As Olivia approaches, the drama is less intense, but much of the drill should be the same. Among Lane’s lessons: After assembling the season’s disaster supply kit, keep it organized and hold onto non-perish- ables through hurricane season. Here’s hoping we see no more instances that could pass as hoarding of stock from store shelves.

Through advancing storm-tracking technology, we’re able to glimpse increasingly accurate forecasts. Still, that “cone of uncertainty” is just that — a most-likely storm track, but not certain. And when any forecast’s track intersects Hawaii’s shoreline, we must continue to take practiced steps to fend off potential threats to life and property.