Hawaii readies for arrival of Hurricane Nolo amid risks of catastrophic flooding

Ryanna Fry takes a picture of clouds in Kona, Hawaii, on Friday. Residents on Hawaii's Big Island were bracing Friday for potentially life-threatening and catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Nolo. (Gregory Bull/The Associated Press)Social SharingPeople on Hawaii's Big Island are preparing for another potentially life-threatening and catastrophic storm, with Hurricane Nolo expected to bring flash floods and extreme surf as it churns just south of the islands through the weekend.

Nolo was expected to strengthen to a major hurricane on Saturday. Its maximum sustained winds increased to 165 kilometres an hour on Friday. The storm's centre was located about 300 kilometres south of Hawaii's southernmost point.

Tropical storm conditions expected to begin on land in the evening, with hurricane conditions possible by early Saturday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was expected to take a turn west Saturday and avoid directly hitting the islands.

Forecasters warned parts of the Big Island could see rainfall totals up to 38 centimetres, with a possibility of up to 64 centimetres. That was down from an earlier forecast that called for up to 89 centimetres.

"People are going to want to kind of shelter in place on the Big Island, be in their safe place, certainly by later today, tonight, well into Saturday," Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said Friday.

"Don't venture out if you don't have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down."

Heavy rainfall also was possible on Hawaii's other islands, the hurricane centre said. Maui also could see heavy rainfall and potential life-threatening flooding and mudslides, forecasters said.

Crews on the Big Island spent hours Friday trying to build berms to guide water and move large debris ahead of the worst of the rain, said Erika Kapu, Hawaii program manager for the humanitarian non-profit CORE.

Darren Montalvo loads sand bags onto his truck in Hilo, Hawaii, on Friday, amid the approach of Hurricane Nolo. (Gregory Bull/The Associated Press)Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members. Schools were closed in some areas.

Hawaii County officials on the Big Island were urging residents in flood-prone areas to consider taking refuge at shelters being set up or other locations.

The heaviest rain from Nolo is likely to fall over the same southeastern region of the Big Island that was hit in August by Hurricane Lala and where grounds are still wet from additional precipitation. The storm surge could hit 30 to 91 centimetres, creating large and dangerous waves and coastal flooding, the hurricane centre said.

Hawaiian Electric, the state's primary utility, said crews that had been helping restore power in Kauai after this month's Hurricane Lowell would return to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the coming storm.

Residents and tourists on the Big Island were busy preparing.

In Hilo, where light rain was falling Friday, residents filled bags with sand and gravel at Francis Wong Stadium, where authorities set up a sand distribution centre.

Dean Taise said water was starting to get into his driveway from the street, so he decided to get a few sandbags ready ahead of possible floods.

"They say, prepare for the worst, right? Hope for the best," Taise said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green has requested an emergency disaster declaration for four Hawaii counties.

Meanwhile, Mexico is under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it heads toward the Baja California peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast.

The hurricane centre said Polo gained significant force overnight into Friday morning and doused parts of Mexico's Pacific coast. No major damage or flooding was reported along the coast overnight into Friday.

By midday Friday, attention turned to the peninsula, where the hurricane was slated to arch back and hit between Monday and Tuesday. Local authorities were preparing shelters. Mexico's government announced Friday afternoon that they were closing ports in the region as dark clouds swirled overhead.

Palm trees sway in Armeria, Mexico, on Thursday, as Hurricane Polo moved through. (Dante Alfaro/Reuters)The latest estimated sustained winds were 290 kilometres an hour.

Residents stacked sandbags to fortify beachfront shops and evacuated their homes in some coastal areas on Thursday. Mexican authorities opened shelters and cleared people from beaches, and 15,000 security personnel were deployed across the coast. Schools were closed.

In the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán, seawater swept through homes and left wooden planks and furniture strewn on the streets. Locals and government officials were clearing debris and shoveling thick mud coating much of the town.

Alicia Contreras said the walls and roof of her restaurant had been severely damaged by 4.5-metre waves. As officers and family helped pick through the damage, Contreras worried about how she would recover economically.

"This is huge because we have no other source of income. Now we're just surviving," Contreras said.

Brennan said some moisture associated with Polo will be pushed into parts of the southwestern U.S. by Monday, possibly producing scattered flash flooding in the Four Corners region, particularly portions of Arizona and New Mexico.

El Niño is prompting major environmental shifts across the world, fuelling drought in some areas and flooding in others. It traditionally dampens the Atlantic hurricane season, while it tends to rev up tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific with moist air and little wind shear.

A third storm in the Pacific, Hurricane Odalys, was at Category 4 status and was still far from land, roughly 1,537 kilometres west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Two other powerful storms were churning in the Atlantic Ocean, but were not near land.

In the northern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fay reformed early Thursday. As of Friday, it was about 1,674 kilometres west-southwest of the Azores, the hurricane centre said. Off Africa's western coast, Tropical Storm Gonzalo strengthened early Friday as it approached the Cabo Verde Islands.