County emergency responders were busy preparing Tuesday as Hurricane Iselle and Tropical Storm Julio continued their march toward Hawaii.
County emergency responders were busy preparing Tuesday as Hurricane Iselle and Tropical Storm Julio continued their march toward Hawaii.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said Tuesday evening that he and state officials were encouraged to see Hurricane Iselle had begun to lose some of its intensity and slowed its progress toward Hawaii Island.
“As of this morning, the National Weather Service was still anticipating the system will weaken,” he said.
Even so, responders are anticipating Hawaii could experience a very strong tropical storm, he said.
Rhea Lee, the administration manager for Hawaii Electric Light Co., said Tuesday morning that the electric utility was working to assess the possible impacts of the storms and deciding how best to keep customers and employees safe.
“We are standing up our incident response team this afternoon, and precautions are underway. We’ve already contacted contractors we might need to respond to issues like downed poles and downed wires and such,” she said. “We have a mutual aid agreement with utilities on the mainland; In the event we have issues beyond our ability to respond, the utilities would supply us with personnel and equipment, which are on standby.”
She added that HELCO’s offices around the island offer a 92-page emergency preparedness handbook, which can be accessed at hawaiielectriclight.com/helco/Safety-and-Emergency.
A Coast Guard press release warned that Iselle and Julio were expected to “generate extreme sea conditions, storm surge and surf of 10-15 feet throughout the main Hawaiian Islands.”
Mariners and beachgoers were asked to monitor the progress and strength of the storms in the media. Boaters can check weather via VHF channel 16, including small craft advisories and warnings.
“The Coast Guard is working closely with local and state first responder agencies. Once the storm begins to impact the islands, emergency responders may not be able to assist those in danger. The public is urged to heed all evacuation orders,” a press release stated. “Mariners should seek safe harbor and shelter.”
Young Brothers Ltd. announced Tuesday afternoon a barge scheduled to arrive in Hilo at 5 p.m. today would not be accepting outbound cargo. Further updates concerning operations at various ports in Hawaii will be available throughout the week at youngbrothershawaii.com.
Tuesday afternoon, state Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito advised residents to review their insurance policies.
“With severe weather in the forecast, it’s a good time to review your homeowner’s insurance policy, since standard homeowner policies do not cover hurricane and flood damage,” he said via a press release. “Residents should also familiarize themselves with the type of coverage they have, deductible amounts and claims procedures.”
Hawaiian Airlines announced it would waive reservation change fees and differences in fares for customers who need to change their travel plans because of the storms.
“Effective immediately, customers who are ticketed for travel on Hawaiian Airlines on August 7 and 8, 2014 will be permitted to change their reservations without charge to flights through August 12, 2014. Change must be made prior to the departure of the originally scheduled flight and ticketed on or before August 12, 2014,” a release reads.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park announced Tuesday it plans to remain open, but park officials would close all backcountry areas and some roads, including Chain of Craters Road from Devastation Trail to the coast.
“Additional closures may be warranted as the storm gets closer,” a press release reads.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.