Hawaii braces for impact of monster Hurricane Lane: US Navy ships and submarines leave port as 100mph Category Four storm begins to lash the outer islands and residents stockpile food
Residents of Hawaii stocked up on water and food Wednesday in preparation for Hurricane Lane
The category 4 storm could slam into the islands Thursday with winds exceeding 100 mph
The National Weather Service said a hurricane warning was issued for Maui County, the Big Island and Oahu and hurricane watch was in effect for Kauai
Around 5pm Wednesday, Hurricane Lane weakened as it approached Hawaii but was still expected to pack a wallop
Residents were told they must stay put and make sure they have enough supplies to outlast prolonged power outages and other potential emergencies
U.S. Navy ships and submarines based in Hawaii have been instructed to leave port to avoid damage
DAILYMAIL.COM
23 August 2018
Hawaii residents emptied store shelves Wednesday, claimed the last sheets of plywood to board up windows and drained gas pumps as Hurricane Lane churned toward the state.
The category 4 storm could slam into the islands Thursday with winds exceeding 100 mph, making it the most powerful storm to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
The National Weather Service said a hurricane warning was issued for Maui County, the Big Island and Oahu and hurricane watch was in effect for Kauai.
U.S. Navy ships and submarines based in Hawaii have been instructed to leave port to avoid damage.
The hurricane was about 305 miles south of Kailua-Kona and moving northwest toward other islands.
Meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said winds slowed overnight from 160mph to 155mph, prompting a downgrade of the hurricane from a Category 5 to a Category 4.
He added it may diminish to a Category 3 by Thursday afternoon but that would still be a major hurricane.
Mr Chevalier said that by early Friday, the hurricane is forecast to be a Category 2 with winds up to 110mph and the centre located west of Hawaii Island and south of Honolulu.
‘We expect it to gradually weaken as it gets closer to the islands,’ he said.
‘That being said, on our current forecast, as of the afternoon on Thursday, we still have it as a major hurricane.’
With winds to 130 mph, the hurricane could cause catastrophic damage.
Unlike Florida or Texas, where residents can get in their cars and drive hundreds of miles to safety, people in Hawaii are confined to the islands and can’t outrun the powerful winds and driving rain.
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