All eyes on TS Hone: A sense of alertness without panic as the storm rolls in

Debbie Arita, an office manager at a supermarket in Hilo, took stock of the conditions. Tropical Storm Hone was approaching the region, but the scene Friday was far from chaotic — no frantic rush for supplies, no desperate boarding up of windows.

To Arita, who said she has been through her fair share of hurricanes and tsunamis, the prevailing mood seemed to be alertness without anxiousness.

“There’s no sense of panic here,” she said.

Hone is expected to deliver a glancing blow to the state as it passes south of the Big Island late Saturday into early today. Forecasters have warned of the potential for damaging winds, life-threatening surf and flash floods.

Officials and residents largely said they were preparing, but not with alarm. While a landfall of a named storm on Hawaii is rare, storms frequently come close enough to affect the islands’ weather.

Mitch Roth, Hawaii County mayor, wants residents to remain watchful. “We want people to be prepared for any kind of hazard,” Roth said.

In August 2018, Hurricane Lane drenched the Big Island with 58 inches of rainfall, damaged over 100 buildings and killed one person — despite the eye of the storm passing over 100 miles south of the state.

The Big Island is expected to bear the brunt of Hone’s impact. Forecasters predict excessive rainfall and flash flooding could begin Saturday afternoon and continue through today, with some areas receiving 10 inches or more of rain. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the island.

The rest of the islands could also feel the storm’s effects. Forecasters warn of dangerous swells that could produce life-threatening surf and rip currents across the state.

As of Saturday morning, the storm had maximum sustained winds of nearly 65 mph and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane southwest of the Big Island by Sunday. After Hone passes, the islands could face another threat as Hurricane Gilma, a Category 1 hurricane in the North Pacific Ocean, looms behind.

Roth described the Big Island as the “tip of the spear” for storms, as it is often the first island in the state to feel the impact. Storms typically weaken as they pass over the island before reaching the rest of Hawaii, he added.

Roth said that state and local officials, emergency workers, utilities and other stakeholders have been meeting daily to discuss storm preparations.

By Friday, Roth said, officials had identified potential shelter sites, dispatched road crews to clear debris from streams and distributed sandbags to homes and businesses at risk of flooding.

Hawaiian Electric, the main electricity utility in the state, warned Friday that customers should anticipate outages. The utility said it was also preparing for the possibility that strong winds in areas of high wildfire risk could lead to power shut-offs.

Forecasters also have warned that Hone could heighten the risk of fires in some parts of the state. Much of Hawaii is currently experiencing a drought, and some areas may receive little rain but encounter strong winds during the storm. Last August, a devastating fire in Lahaina on Maui, fueled by strong winds, killed more than 100 people.

Text and email alerts sent out Friday evening warned that the leeward sides of the Hawaiian islands could experience critical fire weather conditions Saturday. A similar warning was in effect for Maui before the fire in Lahaina last summer.

Still, Sam Ingram, 46, who lives in a community a short drive from Hilo, said he was not too concerned about the storm.

“It’s like hot weather in Phoenix,” he said.

Farther north at Pomaika‘i Cafe in Kapaau, Mahealani Cazimero was also confident she would be OK.

“We just depend on everybody, family and friends,” said Cazimero, 40, who works at the cafe. “If something happens, we’re all in it together.”

Other residents were taking more precautionary measures.

Zane Monteleone, 42, relocated his family to the Big Island after surviving the Lahaina wildfire last year because of a shortage of affordable housing in the aftermath. Monteleone, who now operates a restaurant in Naalehu, said that a key lesson he learned from Lahaina is that the worst can happen without warning.

At his Hana Hou Restaurant, Monteleone closed the windows and brought in chairs and umbrellas from outside. At home, he ran through his disaster checklist, making sure that important documents and keepsakes were all in one place. He also reminded his children not to open the fridge if the power goes out so the cool air stays in and protects the food longer. On Friday, his wife purchased extra flashlights, candles and lanterns.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said. “If something happens, at least we know that we did everything we could.”

David Fuertes, 75, a farmer in North Kohala, bought propane Friday and then returned to his farm to secure flowers in the lei garden he’s growing in memory of his late sister Nancy, who was a lei maker.

Fuertes said that storms in Hawaii can be unpredictable, as he learned firsthand when strong winds from a storm 2 1/2 years ago destroyed a hut on his farm. When asked about his expectations for the coming days, Fuertes began singing part of Bette Midler’s “From a Distance.”

“God is watching us, God is watching us,” he sang, before softly adding, “I hope.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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