LIHU‘E — At noon, county emergency sirens rang for three solid minutes, warning citizens of an incoming hurricane.
Kaua‘i is expected to experience the brunt of Hurricane Douglas, a category 1 storm heading toward the state, early Monday morning.
Residents should use this afternoon to make final preparations for the storm, gathering water, flashlights, food, supplies, and making the determination of whether to shelter at home or in another space, state and county officials said during an 11:30 press conference.
Since the storm will hit at night, Mayor Derek Kawakami said the main concerns are the direction of the wind and visibility at night.
Kawakami advised residents to secure construction hazards, tools, lawn debris and anything else that can be picked up by high winds.
“Kauai, we have been through this before,” Kawakami said. “We know the drill.”
As of 11 a.m. today, Douglas was approximately 240 miles ESE of Lihu‘e, 145 miles E of Honolulu and 145 miles E of Honolulu, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph.
Douglas is continuing to move in west-northwest near 16 mph
Three shelters will be opening Sunday, starting at 2 p.m.: Kilauea Neighborhood Center, Koloa Neighborhood Center and Kauai Community College. More are on standby.
