Maui County is staging resources island-wide, but both residents and emergency officials are keeping a close eye on areas still recovering from hurricane-turned-tropical-storm Lane.
Massive rain and landslides are expected in Hana, and high surf could cover the highway, cutting off Lahaina.
Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa is also concerned about West Maui landslides following fires that torched vegetation above Lahaina weeks ago.
“There’s no ground cover. It’s very likely that any kind of rain hitting those will create mudslides and possibly a lot of erosion,” he said.
The county also considers Upcountry Maui a target of concern, especially after what happened when Lane passed by the islands, sending rushing water down the mountainside and strong winds toppling huge trees.
“We were stuck up here for 24 hours or so, and it was pretty windy and pretty rainy, but it was kind of scary with all the trees. You could hear them banging,” said Piiholo resident Jason Bascon.
Maui Electric says it is taking inventory of fuel supply, checking generators, and ensuring that all equipment is secure. The utility is also assigning and pre-positioning workers as needed.
FEMA has stationed water, meals, and generators on the Valley Isle. They also have two FEMA officers at the Maui Emergency Operations Center, and an eight-person team at the federal staging area where they are keeping the goods.
County workers must report to work Tuesday, and all schools except Hana High and Elementary will have a regular school day, though all after-school programs have been canceled.
In addition to our newscasts, KHON2 will air hourly updates on Tropical Storm Olivia on-air and online through the 11 p.m. update from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
