Hurricane Iselle, Julio Latest Update: Hawaii Hurricane Warning, Emergency Proclamation Signed
Neil Abercrombie, governor of Hawaii, issued an emergency proclamation for the Big Island of Hawaii as Hurricane Iselle is now headed to the state, according to reports. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu also issued a hurricane warning Wednesday afternoon.
Hurricane Iselle, already in category 4 with sustained winds of 90 mph is set to arrive Thursday night, Weather.com reported. This is to be followed by a relatively weaker Hurricane Julio the following days after.
"Tropical storm conditions are expected on the Big Island of Hawaii Thursday, with hurricane conditions expected Thursday night," CPHC advised.
Though it is predicted that Iselle will lose its strength as it draws near to Hawaii, the affected group of islands could be Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. Tropical storm watches have also been raised in areas that comprise Kauai County. This includes the islands of Kauai and Niihau.
Locals are already stocking up in preparation for the arrival of Iselle which could bring heavy flash floods, high surf, strong wind gusts, not to mention heavy rain downpour that could also lead to coastal floodings. A resident described the current commotion going on since the warnings were issued.
"The surfers get excited about these storms, but everyone else is freaking out," the resident told CNN. "A lot of the locals here believe that the tall mountains on the Big Island shield them from hurricanes, but in 24 hours this theory could be proven wrong."
U.S. Geological Survey reports that Hawaii is rarely a target for huge tropical cyclones such as Iselle. This would be the state's first big warning ever since for Hurricane Fernanda roughly 20 years ago.
