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First an earthquake, then a hurricane

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published August 15, 2007

SOUTH POINT, Hawaii - Hours after getting jolted by a moderate earthquake, residents of Hawaii's Big Island holed up for a different force of nature Tuesday: Hurricane Flossie, expected to deliver up to 10 inches of rain, waves as high as 25 feet and strong winds in a powerful but glancing blow.

Schools and many businesses closed and shelters opened in anticipation of the hurricane, which was downgraded to a Category 2 with top sustained winds of 105 mph. The slowing storm began moving past the Big Island in the afternoon and was expected to pass within 85 miles late Tuesday with winds exceeding 40 mph and 10 inches of rain.

The storm comes on the heels of a magnitude 5.4 earthquake centered 25 miles south of Hilo. The quake Monday night caused a small landslide, but there were no reports of injuries or structural damage, said Tom Brown, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense.

More than two dozen aftershocks followed, the largest measuring magnitude 3.2, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist in charge at the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Anticipating Flossie, the Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched a 20-person advance emergency response team that arrived in Hawaii on Monday, spokeswoman Kim Walz said. The team includes specialists in areas of transportation, aviation, public works and health.

The National Weather Service placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning because of the storm, which was supposed to affect the island through today. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island.

Gov. Linda Lingle signed an emergency disaster proclamation, which activates the National Guard. Hawaii Island Mayor Harry Kim also declared a state of emergency Monday as a precaution.

The Big Island is largely rural, with about 170,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest. Other islands were expected to get much less wind and rain.

The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5-billion in damage.

[Last modified August 15, 2007, 01:20:21]