Maui Urges 14-Day Hurricane Supplies as Category 4 Lowell Nears Hawaii
Updated
Updated · Maui Now · Sep 3
Maui Urges 14-Day Hurricane Supplies as Category 4 Lowell Nears Hawaii
3 articles · Updated · Maui Now · Sep 3
Summary
Maui County told residents and visitors to prepare for possible impacts from Hurricanes Lowell and Karina, urging households to keep at least 14 days of food, water, medications and other essentials.
Category 4 Lowell is forecast to pass about 400 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands in the next couple of days, but forecasters say interacting weather systems could force a sharper north or north-northeast turn around Sunday.
Karina, about 1,195 miles east of Hilo, is expected to track west-northwest through Friday, then turn north and weaken, making it the lesser threat.
Maui officials said Lowell's most likely effects are strong trade winds, high surf and possible extended power outages, and county agencies are coordinating with state, private and nonprofit partners.
Less than a month after Tropical Storm Lala affected Hawaii, officials said the season's repeated storms make forecast uncertainty and public readiness especially important.
With forecasting models failing to predict Lowell's exact path, is Maui truly prepared for a sudden, devastating northward strike?
Could the interacting forces of two massive hurricanes trigger unprecedented coastal hazards even if their centers never make direct landfall in Hawaiʻi?
Why are officials suddenly urging a massive 14-day supply stockpile, and what hidden vulnerabilities exist within the island's fragile power grid?