Hawaii Opens Shelters as Hurricane Douglas Approaches the Islands | The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel

The hurricane is expected to impact the islands beginning Sunday and continuing into Monday.

By

Ron Brackett

July 26, 2020

Rating Hurricanes: The Saffir-Simpson Scale

Officials in Hawaii opened shelters Sunday as a slowly weakening Hurricane Douglas approached the island state.

Gov. David Ige said even a weaker hurricane would still have "significant impact" on each island.

"I just want to assure all of you that this will be an all-of-government response," Ige said at a news briefing.

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Hurricane warnings were issued for Oahu, Kauai and Maui. The island of Hawaii was under a tropical storm warning.

(MORE: The Latest on Hurricane Douglas' Track)

On Oahu, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced plans to open 13 evacuation centers, including the Hawaii Convention Center, the Star-Advertiser reported. On Maui, Mayor Michael Victorino planned to open seven shelters.

HawaiiBoardedUP07262020.jpg

A worker puts reinforcements on boarded storefront windows in the Waikiki neighborhood of Honolulu, Saturday, July 25, 2020, as Hurricane Douglas approaches. President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Hawaii on Saturday because of Douglas, directing federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts. 

(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Still, officials urged residents to remain in their homes or stay with friends and avoid the shelters if possible because of the coronavirus. Hawaii set a third consecutive record high for new COVID-19 cases on Saturday. The 73 infections brought the total number of cases in the state to 1,620.

"No matter what shelter you go to, you have to enter with your face coverings and you must wear your face coverings at all times unless you’re eating, drinking or sleeping," Caldwell said.

He also said everyone hoping to enter a shelter will have their temperature checked and have to comply with social-distancing requirements.

On Saturday, residents gassed up generators and prepared their homes for Douglas' winds, rain and potential storm surge.

Asked which threat he feared most, Arthur Machado, who lives on Oahu, told the Star-Advertiser, "All three."

Dotty Kelly-Paddock, who lives on a hillside on Oahu with her husband and their son, told the newspaper she worried about high winds. She was also worried about neighbors whose houses could be affected by storm surge or river flooding.

"Yeah, it’s a very serious matter. The wind is going to hit everybody the same. And a lot of residents are right next to the ocean in very low-lying grounds. We are all very much at risk," she said.

(MORE: Hanna Unleashes Flooding, Power Outages Across South Texas, Northeastern Mexico)

On Maui, Eddie Perrells spent Saturday getting his home ready.

"We’ve just been boarding up all our windows, using our trucks for [a] shield to block stuff from flying at our house," he told Hawaii News Now. "I [would] rather be safe for my kids."

Stores on Molokai began to run out of supplies as residents stocked up on food, batteries and other basics.

"When we got word that [the] Coast Guard was going to close the port of Kaunakakai, there wasn’t enough time for our grocers to order extra supplies to come on the Thursday barge, so because of that cancellation, we are going to run out of some supplies," Rob Stephenson, president of the Molokai Chamber of Commerce, told Hawaii News Now.

The Coast Guard was expected to close all of the state's ports by Sunday. The National Park Service closed Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii island and Haleakala National Park on Maui.

Hawaiian Airlines canceled all flights between islands and between Hawaii and the mainland.

President Donald Trump on Saturday approved an emergency declaration for Hawaii, which allows federal agencies to start working on relief efforts.

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Sand and debris is left on Kamehameha Highway from high surf generated by Hurricane Douglas, Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Hauula, Hawaii. Hurricane Douglas came within “razor thin” distance of the Hawaiian Islands but spared the state the worst of the strong winds, storm surge and flooding officials had warned about. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

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