Governor Ige Signs Emergency Proclamation and Hurricane Hunter Flies Though Olivia

Gov. David Ige has signed an emergency proclamation that allows state money to be appropriated for losses related to Hurricane Olivia and declares the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kalawao, Kauai and the City and County of Honolulu disaster areas in order to implement emergency management functions.

Even if Olivia arrives as a tropical storm, as predicted, Ige’s office said today that the islands still could be hit with “high winds, heavy rains, high surf, storm surges and flooding that threaten to harm communities and cause extensive damage to public and private property across the state.”

In a statement, Ige said that “A tropical storm could bring heavy rain and flooding, especially in places that are saturated from previous storms. Now is the time to prepare.”

Ige’s emergency proclamation expires on Sept. 17.

A “Hurricane Hunter” crew flying through Hurricane Olivia reported at 11 a.m. this morning that the eye of the hurricane was breaking apart, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said.

The crew made four passes through Olivia and reported that “the eye is not as formed,” Caldwell said. “It’s broken on one side, kind of the southwestern side, which means it’s getting a little destabilized. That’s good information and the winds have dropped, which is good.”

Even if Olivia does not arrive with hurricane force winds, Caldwell said, “I don’t think we should let our guard down. You saw what happened when (Hurricane) Lane became a tropical storm: The Big Island got pounded. Kauai got pounded.”

Even as a tropical storm, Lane cost the city about $1 million in overtime, Caldwell said.

“As mayor I’m not letting my guard down,” Caldwell said. “We want to let our guards down because of hurricane fatigue, but we should not.”

Caldwell repeated his call to residents and visitors to be prepared, but not hoard supplies.

“Leave enough for other people,” he said. “Think about your friends, family and neighbors. Take enough just for yourself (or) just use our water supply. We have some of the best water in the world.”

For people who already over-stocked on supplies, Caldwell reminded them that hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

“Don’t return things,” he said. “We have a very active hurricane season that goes through Nov. 30. Don’t overreact, but also think about everyone else.”