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Mayor Caldwell signs emergency proclamation as Olivia gets closer to Oahu

COURTESY CITY & COUNTY

Mayor Kirk Caldwell signs a proclamation of emergency after leading a briefing on Tropical Storm Olivia this morning in the Emergency Operations Center in Honolulu.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed an emergency proclamation this morning to allow for emergency disaster actions and relief deemed necessary as Tropical Storm Olivia nears Oahu.

Caldwell signed the proclamation after a morning briefing on Olivia at the Emergency Operations Center on the possible impacts to Oahu, which remains under a tropical storm warning. A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are possible within 24 hours.

The proclamation was signed in conjunction with the one signed for the state by Gov. David Ige on Sunday.

“Signing this emergency proclamation will allow all of our resources to be at our immediate disposal,” said Caldwell in a news release. “We continue to track Tropical Storm Olivia, and we are starting to see the first effects of the storm on Oahu today. The next few hours should be very telling as to what track the storm begins to take as it gets closer to Oahu. We encourage our residents and visitors to keep a close eye on the storm as it approaches. If you feel unsafe heading out today, please stay home and stay tuned. We’ll continue to monitor this situation carefully from our Emergency Operations Center to make sure we can react at a moment’s notice. All of our first responders are standing by.”

The Emergency Operations Center was fully activated at 6 a.m. today, and will be staffed until a decision is made to deactivate. The Department of Emergency Management also opened eight storm shelters across Oahu on Tuesday evening.

Although Olivia continues to weaken as it approaches Oahu, city officials said there is a continued threat for tropical storm force winds of 45 miles per hour, with gusts of 50 to 60 miles per hour. These gusts could be localized, depending on terrain, and could persist into this evening. Five to 10 inches of rainfall is possible, with some areas reaching up to 15 inches. The threat of flash flooding continues.

Another briefing on Tropical Storm Olivia will be held at 5:30 p.m. today. Olivia officially made landfall this morning on Maui.

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