As Hurricane Erick nears the Hawaiian Islands, the city is urging residents to prepare for the worst.

Erick, located 1,110 miles east-southeast of Hilo with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, is expected to strengthen before weakening late Wednesday. Farther east, Tropical Storm Flossie is projected to reach hurricane strength Tuesday night before turning toward the west-northwest through Saturday when forecasters expect it to be a hurricane hundreds of miles southeast of Hilo.

Hirokazu Toiya, director of the city Department of Emergency Management, said people should start planning with family, friends and neighbors for potential problems from wind, rain and flooding.

“Whether it’s a tropical storm or hurricane, the impacts could be significant,” he said, adding that it is critical people pay attention to local news and push alerts. The city has its own mobile app at HNL Info.

Besides having an evacuation plan, emergency officials recommend a 14-day supply of food and water (1 gallon per person per day, or 56 gallons in total for a family of four), as well as keeping portable radios and flashlights with extra batteries.

“At any given time we know that can be a challenge for some folks living paycheck to paycheck, but do what you can to prepare yourself,” Toiya said. “A lot of folks tend to go out and buy bottled water, but we have perfectly good tap water in the City and County of Honolulu. It’s really because of our potential for the supply chain to get interrupted that we need to make sure everybody can survive on their own for two weeks.”

Dennis Hwang, a faculty member at the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program and lead author of the Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards, said residents should clear gutters that could clog up and be prepared to take outdoor household items inside to prevent them from flying and damaging property. In addition, Oahu homeowners should add hurricane clips — metal connectors that tie the roof to the walls — to homes built before 1988 when the building code was revised to make it mandatory.

“The best time to do this is when they’re not under threat,” he said. “It’s really important to prepare properly. It’s something to be done before hurricane season,” which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.