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Government officials and work crews for the State of Hawaii and four island counties representing the City and County of Honolulu, Maui County, County of Kauai and County of Hawaii are preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Lane. Vigorous, around-the-clock efforts are continuing statewide to protect residents and visitors from the effects of the hurricane.

Hawaii Governor David Ige yesterday signed an emergency proclamation, as did mayors for each of the counties, which eases the process for each of the government entities to perform emergency management functions to protect people and support recovery efforts. This includes shelters being opened, schools closed, streams cleared, and emergency equipment, food and other assets pre-positioned to help people and communities cope with the effects of Hurricane Lane.
Overnight, Hurricane Lane weakened slightly to a Category 4 status. Forecasters from the National Weather Service expect the hurricane to continue weakening in the coming days as the massive storm completes its pass close to the Hawaiian Islands.
As of 8:00 a.m. (HST), the National Weather Service reported the center of Hurricane Lane was approximately 250 miles south of the island of Hawaii and moving at a speed of 8 miles per hour in a west-northwesterly track, with maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour. The hurricane is projected to pass south of the island of Hawaii starting as soon as late tonight.
The hurricane is projected to pass south, but close to Maui, Lanai and Molokai starting Thursdayafternoon, and Oahu and Kauai sometime Friday lasting through Saturday.
Currently, a hurricane warning is in effect for the island of Hawaii, as well as the islands of Maui, Lanai and Molokai, which means that hurricane conditions are expected within a specified area. A hurricane watch is in effect for Oahu and Kauai, which means that hurricane conditions are possible.
Residents and visitors are strongly encouraged to be prepared with access to a supply of food and water and take shelter as the hurricane passes the islands until the all clear is given. Extremely high winds, dangerous surf, torrential rainfall and flash flooding on all islands are all potential threats.
George D. Szigeti, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, advised, “This is a dangerous hurricane that is a very serious threat to Hawaii. Everyone should focus on staying safe and avoiding any situation that puts them in harm’s way. The state and counties are working collaboratively to bring all of our government resources to bear to protect our people and communities.
“Visitors should heed the advice of civil defense officials, as well as our airline, hotel and tourism industry professionals as they do a consistently excellent job of taking care of guests during times of crisis. Visitors who have trips planned to Hawaii should check with their airline and accommodation providers to see if travel adjustments need to be made.”

Weather Information
Up-to-date online information on the trek of Hurricane Lane is available at the following:
National Weather Service Forecast: www.weather.gov/hawaii
Central Pacific Hurricane Center: www.weather.gov/cphc
Hurricane Preparedness: https://www.facebook.com/PrepareNOWHI/
Real Time Satellite Image: Click to View

Media Updates
Reliable, accurate and timely information about Hurricane Lane on a statewide basis can be accessed at the following media outlets in Hawaii:
Honolulu Star-Advertiser: www.staradvertiser.com
Hawaii News Now: www.hawaiinewsnow.com
KHON: www.khon2.com
KITV: www.kitv.com

Emergency Notifications
The public can sign up to receive emergency notifications at the following webpages:
County of Hawaii: countyofhawaii.bbcportal.com
City & County of Honolulu: hnl.info/alerts/login.php
County of Kauai: countyofkauai.bbcportal.com
County of Maui: www.co.maui.hi.us/list.aspx