HAWAII AND FLORIDA States of emergency as hurricanes threaten

Posted on 09/01/2016 | About Hawaii

Heavy rains hit parts of Hawaii and strong waves pummeled shorelines as a downgraded yet still-powerful Pacific storm passed near the island state. And in Florida, a hurricane warning and tropical storm warnings have been issued for parts of the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Hermine approaches Florida from the Gulf of Mexico.

HawaiiThough Tropical Storm Madeline was no longer a hurricane, there were periods of intense rainfall Wednesday as the National Weather Service downgraded Madeline, with winds falling below hurricane strength of 74 mph.
Wind speed diminished slowly throughout the day and by late evening they were swirling at 60 mph. Forecasters said continued weakening was expected.
Madeline's centre was 175 miles south of Hilo and moving southwest and away from the state at 15 mph - not predicted to make landfall on any Hawaiian island. Still, the Big Island and Maui County were under tropical storm warnings.
Waves crashed into a seawall that surrounds Liliuokalani Gardens Park at Hilo Bay. Water accumulated on the grass of the gardens, leaving stairs of a pavilion partially submerged.
“That heavy rainfall is interspersed with sunny patches,” said Kanani Aton, spokeswoman for Hawaii County Civil Defence.
Officials said residents should continue to be prepared for more rain, strong winds and high surf overnight. The rainfall may lead to dangerous flash floods and mudslides, the weather service warned.
“It doesn't matter if it's a strong tropical storm or a category 1 hurricane,” said Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the weather service. “If you have 70 mph winds verses 75 mph winds, it's still a strong storm, so residents still need to be prepared.”
Meanwhile, Hurricane Lester was about 1,000 miles from Hawaii and expected to drop to a tropical storm by Sunday.
Earlier on Wednesday, merchants boarded up shop windows along Hilo Bay and shoppers snatched supplies of food and water from grocery store shelves after initially being told the island could be hit by its first hurricane in a quarter-century.
“We are not out of the woods,” Aton said. “At this point it is still a powerful storm, and we are working to remind the public to be storm ready.”
Gov. David Ige has issued an emergency proclamation for both storms, allowing the state to quickly spend money.
The Hawaiian islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe were under a tropical storm watch, but there were no alerts for Oahu or Kauai.
FloridaForecasters say Tropical Storm Hermine is expected to make landfall Thursday night as a Category 1 hurricane Thursday night or early Friday.
As of 5 a.m. EDT Thursday, Hermine was centred about 275 miles (440 kilometres) west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and is moving north-northeast near 12 mph (19 kph). It had top winds of 40 miles per hour.
Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency in 42 counties to free up resources for the storm.
'The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,' the NHC said, warning that the storm was due to reach Florida's northwestern coastline by late Thursday.
Heavy rain, storm surge flooding and high winds will sweep ashore Thursday. The system will then spread up the coast to the Carolinas on Friday and Saturday
By Friday, up to 15 inches could fall over portions of central and northern Florida, and up to 10 inches through early Saturday in coastal areas of Georgia and North and South Carolina.
“These rains may cause flooding and flash flooding,” the NHC warned.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, but this year's first hurricane, Alex, formed in January in an unusual weather event.
The 2015 season was less active than average, with 11 tropical storms in the Atlantic, of which four became hurricanes and two major hurricanes.