Oahu scrambles
to handle big stormKona winds could mean heavy
rainfall on the Leeward Coast
Tarpaulins, batteries and sandbags sold well at Oahu hardware stores yesterday as residents prepared for heavy thunderstorms expected to hit the state today and last through the weekend.
Oahu Civil Defense put dozens of volunteers on standby in preparation for the rain, said spokesman Peter Hirai, adding, "We're all ready and waiting."
City crews are also on alert and expect to work through the weekend clearing storm drains and "dealing with whatever comes," said city spokeswoman Carol Costa.
National Weather Service lead forecaster Roy Matsuda said Kauai and Oahu will get the brunt of the slow-moving storm -- caused by a low-pressure front west of Kauai -- and some areas could see 8 inches or more of rain within 24 hours.
Rains are expected to persist through Monday.
That is especially bad news for Kailua resident Annette Murayama, who still has a hole in her roof from a windstorm last week that caused damage to a number of Oahu homes, downed dozens of utility lines and cut off power to 70,000 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers.
"I'm very worried and concerned," she said, adding that she does not know whether the plastic sheeting that is covering her roof's hole will hold up to heavy rain. "It's so distressing, I'm telling you. This is a hell of a way to start the new year."
At Home Depot in Iwilei, tarpaulin and battery sales were "really taking off" yesterday, said assistant store manager Alan Abara. Honolulu's City Mill also saw a jump in tarpaulin sales.
Lessie Mitch, marketing director at Safety Systems Hawaii Inc., said the store has received "a lot of calls" and orders for sandbags, but could not estimate how many the store had sold yesterday.
Hawaiian Electric spokesman Jose Dizon said more crews will be working today to deal with any problems related to the weather. Also, HECO's customer service hot line was started up an hour early this morning to take down possible outage reports.
"We can't predict what kind of challenges the weather will bring us, but we'll be prepared to respond," Dizon said.
Flooding remains the biggest concern for officials.
"Anytime you have a heavy rain-maker slowing down, the potential for flooding is higher," Matsuda said. "People should not ... cross rivers, particularly during heavy rains."
He said the rains could match or surpass the strength of storms that hit earlier this winter, including one in December that caused millions of dollars in flood damage to a number of Mapunapuna businesses.
"The good news is, there's no marked winds with this," Matsuda said.
The weather service issued a flash flood watch for Kauai yesterday and was expecting to issue flash flood warnings today should rains concentrate enough to warrant the advisory.
Matsuda said last night that it was still too early to tell which areas of Oahu and Kauai would get the most rain.
He also said that 10 to 20 mph Kona winds will accompany the storm, meaning heavy rain could also fall on Oahu's Leeward Coast. "It's very unlike the tradewind situation," which usually pushes rainstorms to the windward sides of islands, he said.
The front also is expected to bring a large swell with 15- to 20-foot surf on Oahu's North Shore tomorrow, Matsuda said.
