#hurricane iselle

Public comments are due Aug. 7 on a draft environmental assessment for an estimated $31.46 million road repair project at Kalepa Point in East Maui.

Maui’s Kula Forest Reserve and Polipoli State Recreation Area are scheduled to reopen on April 3, 2015, following the August 2014 closure due to damage from Hurricane Iselle.

Is there anything the County can do to make my neighbors take care of their trees? During Hurricane Iselle one of the trees fell down and blocked our street for days; another one crashed down on my fence.

The US Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory resumed full monitoring of volcanoes and earthquakes on Wednesday, Aug. 13, five days after topical storm Iselle knocked out power to parts of the island and left the center less than fully operational.

As recovery efforts continue in heavily hit areas of Puna on Hawaiʻi Island, crews here on Maui continue to assess damage.

The extension of the proclamation is ostensibly in response to the widespread damage and ongoing disaster recovery efforts on Hawai’i Island.

The Kula Forest Reserve and Polipoli State Park on Maui remain closed following Tropical Cyclone Iselle, while damage assessment continues. Work to remove and clear downed trees from interior roads is expected to take several weeks to complete.

Maui County Civil Defense and Mayor Alan Arakawa have announced the all clear for residents as the tropical storm warning for the county was canceled this afternoon. Tropical Storm Iselle dispersed after hitting the Big Island last night and stopping the storms progression to Maui; however the Mayor still urged caution in the coming days.

Twenty-four hour rainfall totals ending at 8 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, show more than 14 inches of rain at Saddle Quarry and Kulani; more than 12 inches of rain at Hakalau and Puaakala; and 13.9 inches in the Glenwood area.

As of midnight last night, there were a total of 231 individuals at eight shelters in Maui County. County offices remain closed today, with the exception of the County Clerk’s Office, which is open and receiving absentee ballots until 2 p.m. today.

“Iselle still remains a threat. That’s what I’m trying to emphasize out there — that as folks wake up and it seems a little breezy and there are some showers out there, the idea is that we could still get these sudden gusts, and still the potential for flooding …”

The National Weather Service says radar at 1:23 a.m. showed moderate to heavy rain along the windward slopes of Haleakalā. Additional rain bands will continue to move over east Maui over the next several hours.

On the topic of winds: “It’s going to be an event where no part of the state is going to be spared. We can expect the same or similar impacts throughout the state at least through Friday evening.”

Mike Cantin with the National Weather Service said that dangers on land with strong winds and flooding potential, and on the sea with high waves and storm surge along the coast make the system a threat.

Iselle is still a hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph, with some slight weakening recorded over the last six hours.

Wind gusts of 55 mph have already been recorded on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi in the Mauna Kea area. The onset for Maui is projected to be between 9 and 10 p.m. according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

The impacts—in the form of heavy rain, strong winds, and storm surge—are anticipated to begin as early as 4 p.m. on Hawaiʻi Island today, with the center of the storm passing over the Big Island of Hawaiʻi in the late afternoon to evening hours.

The Hawaii Red Cross volunteers will begin opening shelters in Maui County at 1 p.m. in response to Iselle. Shelters on Maui include: Baldwin High ; Lokelani Intermediate (pet friendly); Kekaulike High; Hāna High & Elementary; Molokaʻi High; and Kilohana Elementary (Molokaʻi); and Lānaʻi High & Elementary.

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says the onset of tropical storm conditions are expected over Maui County tonight, with very large damaging surf expected along mainly east and south shores starting late tonight.

The mayor’s office announced that it will be sending home all non-emergency county employees at noon on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, with the possible exception of county elections employees.