With Tropical Storm Ana gaining strength southeast of Hawaii, state and county officials are gearing up to face a direct hit from a second tropical cyclone this hurricane season.
Officials are urging the public to start preparing as well, saying that although most of the state easily weathered Tropical Storm Iselle in August, this new storm could arrive packing even greater dangers.
They said residents should have enough food, water and medicine on hand to take care of their emergency needs and those of their families for at least seven days.
At 11 p.m. Tuesday, Ana was reported 710 miles east-southeast of Hilo (920 miles east-southeast of Honolulu), moving west at 9 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were listed at 70 mph.
National Weather Service meteorologists said Ana is expected to become a hurricane Wednesday and then reach peak intensity Thursday and Friday before weakening as it approaches the islands this weekend.
Nevertheless, Ana is expected to maintain its Category 1 hurricane strength and unleash strong wind, heavy rain and large waves as it moves up the island chain, they said.
Forecasters said Tuesday night that the latest track shows the center of the storm skirting Hawaii island’s South Point on Saturday morning and moving along Oahu’s Waianae Coast on Sunday.
Shelly Kunishige, spokeswoman for the state Emergency Management Agency, said state and county officials fresh from the Iselle experience likely will be better prepared to respond to Ana.
But if Ana hits hard, this one could hurt state coffers a little more. The reason: The response to Iselle depleted the state’s Major Disaster Fund.
After the storm, which touched down on Hawaii island Aug. 8, Gov. Neil Abercrombie informed federal officials that the state spent approximately $1.3 million in response costs and was still facing an estimated $13.2 million in damage and debris expenses.
Kunishige said the governor will have to move general fund dollars from other areas of the state budget to replenish the fund.
State and county officials met Monday afternoon with National Weather Service meteorologists to learn the latest on the storm and to begin coordinating their preparation efforts.
Peter Hirai, deputy director of the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said city employees were already mobilizing.
"Right now city departments are preparing for the storm, gassing up vehicles, checking radios and generators. City maintenance is clearing streams and culverts (for flood control)," he said. "We’re expecting the worst and hoping for the best."
Hirai said that when and if the National Weather Service declares a tropical storm or hurricane watch 48 hours in advance, the city will activate a new call line — 768-CITY — allowing residents to ask storm-related questions. The goal is to free up calls to 911 for emergencies.
"People can ask any questions, such as ‘Where is the closest shelter?’ Or about trash pickup. Or ‘What offices are open?’" he said.
Kunishige said the state will be paying closer attention to social media to keep tabs on what is happening locally during the storm. She urged people to use the hashtags #hiwx and #anahawaii when using Twitter and Facebook.
Kunishige acknowledged a worry that some residents may be suffering from psychological fatigue and will treat this storm with a measure of complacency. But that, she said, would be a mistake.
"Look at Florida in 2004. They had four storms. There’s always a possibility," she said. "The National Weather Service said this was going to be a busier-than-normal hurricane season. We were warned."
Robin Akana-Bankes isn’t letting her guard down. The Iroquois Point woman said she went to Target in Kapolei on Monday night to buy water. Apparently, others are doing the same.
"They were almost sold out," she said.
A Target spokeswoman said Tuesday that the store now has plenty of water.
National Weather Service meteorologist Chris Brenchley said not preparing for this storm would be "a dangerous assumption."
People should not assume, he said, that Hawaii island will take the punch out of this storm like it did when Iselle made landfall there. If it makes a direct hit, Ana could react differently because it is moving in a different direction, he said.
Brenchley said there’s a wide margin of error with Ana’s forecast track — much wider than Iselle’s, when all the modeling data pointed to a direct hit on Hawaii island. With more uncertainty this time, he said, all islands need to prepare for the possibility of a direct hit.
Officials said ocean temperatures around Hawaii are about 2 to 3 degrees warmer than usual for this time of year, making ocean waters more conducive for storm conditions.
Iselle caused strong wind, heavy rain, flooding, high surf, storm surge and lightning in locations across all four counties of the state, although Hawaii island was hardest hit.
On that island, storm surge and wind-driven waves flooded homes and moved them off their foundations. High wind knocked over hundreds of albizia trees, destroying and damaging hundreds of homes and causing extensive damage to the electrical infrastructure. Some 33,000 customers lost power, and some people were without electricity for close to three weeks.
