By Staff Reports
(Maui) – Hurricane Iselle continues to march towards the islands. The latest models show Iselle reaching Maui County Thursday night as a tropical storm. However, right now the system is still classified as a hurricane with sustained winds near 110 miles per hour.
Even if Iselle weakens to become a tropical storm it will still bring high surf, strong winds and heavy rains. Coastal flooding is also possible as high surf begins to rise along east facing shores as early as Wednesday.
In anticipation of Iselle, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for the State of Hawaii today that goes into effect Thursday at 4 a.m. until Friday at 6 a.m.
According to the State Dept. of Education (DOE), all public schools in Maui County (Maui, Molokai, Lanai) will be closed on Thursday, Aug. 7. The schools in Maui County that are designated emergency shelters will remain closed on Friday, Aug. 8. Other school closures will be determined by the DOE as the situation develops.
Designated school shelters will open to the public at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7. The school shelters are:
Baldwin High (Wailuku)
Lokelani Intermediate (Kihei)
Kekaulike High (Upcountry)
Hana High & Elementary
Molokai High
Kilohana Elementary (Molokai)
An additional shelter at Lahaina Civic Center is expected to open at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Maui Bus Paratransit Service will be available for same day reservations from home to shelter by calling MEO at 877-7651.
Residents are reminded once again to prepare for the storm by:
- Securing loose objects in your yard and around your home that could potentially turn into flying debris.
- Stocking up on food, water and medicine. The new recommendation by the state is to have SEVEN DAYS worth of supplies.
- Boarding up or covering windows.
- Bringing your disaster kit with you If you are required to evacuate to a designated shelter.
- Fueling your vehicles.
- Securely mooring or moving boats to a designated safe area well before the storm hits.
- Continuing to monitor the news for storm updates from the weather service and Maui County at www.mauicounty.gov.
For emergency preparedness information, visit www.mauicounty.gov/civildefense.