Oahu residents urged to stay home until Lowell passes

City officials urged Oahu residents Monday night to stay home and take precautions as Hurricane Lowell was bearing down about 200 miles west of the island, with the worst impacts expected into early today.

With Oahu under a tropical storm warning through this afternoon, Mayor Rick Blangiardi said the island was in for a potentially rough night before conditions hopefully ease this morning. Like on Kauai, all nonessential county and state offices on Oahu, as well as Hawaii public schools and University of Hawaii campuses on the island, are closed today. The Honolulu Zoo and the six city golf courses are also closed.

Lowell’s forecast has shifted several times over the past week, but the storm moved close enough to Oahu on Monday that officials warned residents not to become complacent.

The center of Lowell was expected to pass just west of Kauai and Niihau overnight but its large size means Oahu could experience tropical storm-force winds of 39 mph or more and gusts up to 60 mph, along with heavy rain, flash flooding and life-threatening ocean conditions.

Those conditions could vary significantly across the island, the mayor said.

“What you see outside your window” should not be used to judge conditions elsewhere on Oahu, Blangiardi said, noting that weather in Hawaii Kai could look dramatically different from conditions on the North Shore or along the Waianae Coast.

The city activated its Emergency Operations Center to level 2, bringing together agencies including police, fire, EMS, transportation and facilities officials, along with state transportation and education representatives, and a National Guard liaison.

Randy Collins, director of the city Department of Emergency Management, said the coordination was intended to ensure resources were positioned to respond to problems as conditions deteriorated.

A shelter at Nanakuli Elementary School opened at 5 p.m. Monday because officials expected Oahu’s west side to see some of the strongest winds. Other shelters were ready to open if needed, Collins said.

The Honolulu Fire Department was preparing for possible downed trees, flooding and rescues.

Fire Chief Sheldon Hao said the HFD was adding three additional cutting teams to clear fallen trees from critical roadways, and an additional emergency rescue team.

Hao urged residents to stay off the roads unless necessary, avoid the water and stay away from hiking trails.

The department also cautioned residents to turn off stoves and other cooking appliances during power outages. Appliances left on could create a fire hazard when electricity returns, they said.

EMS Director Jim Ireland said emergency medical crews continued responding to routine calls Monday, including traffic crashes and a serious e-bike crash on the west side. A serious motorcycle crash at Kapaa Quarry also involved three patients, he said.

Ireland said call volume had been below average Monday, which he attributed in part to the Labor Day holiday and people staying home. But he urged residents to remain cautious even after Lowell passes.

Following previous storms, EMS responded to people who fell from roofs and suffered serious injuries, as well as fires caused when cooking appliances left on during outages turned back on when power was restored. Traffic crashes also occurred at intersections where traffic signals had lost power and drivers failed to treat them as four-way stops, Ireland said.

Ocean conditions were already deteriorating Monday.

Ocean Safety Chief Kurt Lager said wave heights along Oahu’s south and west shores more than doubled during the day and, in some areas, tripled. Lifeguards conducted nine rescues in town and 18 on the west side, Lager said.

The numbers were lower than what officials typically see during a high-surf event, which he said suggested residents were heeding warnings.

Waves were expected to continue growing overnight, accompanied by strong currents and groundwater runoff from rainfall.

Large surf and strong currents were expected to remain a hazard this morning, even as the storm moved away.

City officials emphasized that residents should not assume conditions are safe simply because the rain or wind has eased in their neighborhood.