The US state of Hawaii is being pounded by Hurricane Lane since Thursday, August 23, and the situation is likely to worsen on Friday and Saturday. The hurricane, which was tagged as a Category 5 storm earlier, has now been downgraded to a Category 3 storm, but it is still expected to bring quite some destruction.
As residents of the state get ready to hunker down in their homes until the storm passes, president Donald Trump has declared an emergency in the region. He asked people to stay indoors and prepare for the worst.
"I have authorized an emergency disaster declaration to provide Hawaii the necessary support ahead of #HurricaneLane. Our teams are closely coordinating with the state and local authorities. You are in our thoughts!" Trump tweeted.
The Big Island reportedly received 19 inches of rain in a span of 24 hours that caused landslides and flash floods. The National Weather Service explained that despite being downgraded, Hurricane Lane packed wind speed of about 209 kilometres per hour.
It also said that in the next two days, Lane is likely to bring heavy rainfall to the state and some areas may even witness about 30 inches of downpour, reported the Agence France-Presse.
In preparation, emergency workers have reportedly set up 16 evacuation centres in different places and are in the process of setting up 19 more.
Hurricane Lane is said to be the first major storm to hit Hawaii in 26 years and residents have been getting ready to hunker down in their homes and have been stocking up on all kinds of essentials. Unlike other states in the US, people in Hawaii are confined to the islands and have to stay put at their homes. Authorities have also advised the residents to buy all the essentials like food, water, and medicines, among things and stay indoors until the storm passes.
People in the area were seen nailing ply boards to their windows and fuelling up their vehicles in case of an emergency. The winds and heavy rains often uproot trees and bring down electric poles causing power outages, due to which residents have been asked to keep batteries ready.
"Everyone is starting to buckle down at this point," Christyl Nagao, a resident of Kaua told the Associated Press. "Our families are here. We have businesses and this and that. You just have to man your fort and hold on tight. You're stuck here and resources might not get here in time."
As the weather turns rough by the hour, United Airlines has also cancelled all its flights to and from Kahului International Airport on Maui on Friday.
