Tropical Storm Ana has prompted the following closures, postponements and cancellations:
HAWAII ISLAND
» Public schools on Hawaii island will be closed Friday in anticipation of the coming storm. Interscholastic athletic events and student activities are canceled beginning Thursday and through the weekend.
The following Hawaii island schools are slated to serve as emergency shelters: Kau High & Pahala Elementary, Keaau High, Kohala High & Elementary, Kealakehe High, Konawaena High, Hilo High, Waiakea High, Pahoa High & Intermediate, Honokaa High & Intermediate, and Waikoloa Elementary
For information on public charter school closures, visit http://www.chartercommission.hawaii.gov/.
» Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will be closed Friday. No backcountry permits will be issued after 6 p.m. Thursday. The park’s Kahuku Unit will close the entire weekend, and International Archeology Day, previously scheduled for Saturday, is canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
If it is safe to do so, the park and its visitor centers will reopen at noon on Saturday.
“Our first priority is to keep our visitors, staff, and volunteers safe,” Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said in a news release. “We will reassess Saturday, and will reopen by noon as long as it is safe.”
Volcano House and Kīlauea Military Camp will remain open to registered guests.
» A refuge open house event set for Saturday at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is canceled.
OAHU
» The 26th annual Talk Story Festival is postponed, and now set for 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 7 and 8 at McCoy Pavilion in Ala Moana Regional Park. Originally scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the festival is Hawaii’s oldest and largest storytelling celebration, according to a news release issued by Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
» The 2014 White Cane Safety Awareness Day Walk on Oahu scheduled for Friday is canceled. The state Department of Human Services Vocational Rehabilitation Division Ho‘opono Rehabilitation Center for the Blind will reschedule the event. Organizers of a White Cane Walk in Kona, set for Sunday, are still assessing the situation. To check on the event’s status, call Sally Hammond at 808-345-7065.
» The 11th annual Kaimuki Clean-Up is rescheduled to Nov. 18 from Saturday. Organizers ask participants to refrain from bringing items to Kaimuki High School on Saturday. For more information, contact Rene Mansho, 291-6151.
» A Keiki ID event scheduled for Saturday at McDonald’s in the Pearl Kai Shopping Center is canceled. The free event was sponsored by Aiea-Pearl City lawmakers.
» BayFest, the weekend-long family festival presented at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, is canceled. The festival was scheduled to take place Friday through Sunday at Kaneohe Bay. There are no plans to reschedule the event at this time. Concert tickets can be refunded. For refund information, visit Marine Corp Base Hawaii’s Information, Tickets and Tours website, mccshawaii.com/itt, or call 254-7653.
KAUAI
» Hawaiian Homes Commission meetings originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at the Lihue State Building on Kauai are postponed to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Oct. 27 and 10:30 a.m. Oct. 28. The rescheduled meetings will be held in the Alii Room of the Aston Aloha Beach Hotel, 3-5920 Kuhio Highway, Kapaa.
The Hawaiian Homestead Community Meeting scheduled for Monday at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Lihue is also postponed a week.
MAUI
» Maui County’s Emergency Preparedness Training scheduled for Friday at the Kalana o Maui (County) Building in Wailuku is canceled. The exercise will be rescheduled for a later date.
