Tropical Storm Calvin ambled by the Hawaiian
Islands on Wednesday without delivering the
anticipated mayhem and hullabaloo.
“I am pleased to report that there were no significant incidents reported, only minor flooding in typically flood-prone areas,”
Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth said in a midday news conference Wednesday.
There were reports of fallen tree branches and heavy winds in some areas of the Big Island.
“But no major damages have been reported,” Roth told reporters at the state Capitol during a video call from Hawaii island.
Before the day was out, Calvin had lost its punch on a path south of the islands and was demoted to a weakening post-tropical cyclone as it limped
westward.
With the storm bearing down on Hawaii for days, the National Weather Service had been warning of the potential of damaging winds and heavy rain.
Southeast Hawaii island was pounded by 4 to
6 inches of rain, and road closures due to flooding
included Pahala Transfer Station Road and Wood Valley Road.
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park reopened at
11 a.m. after enduring little damage.
Even though there was no major damage reported across the state, Gov. Josh Green said the extensive preparations for Calvin were worthwhile because the busier part of the hurricane season is yet to arrive.
“It’s nice to have a dry run,” Green said, “Though it was a bit damp in many parts of the Big Island, it proved to be pretty dry for us statewide.”
John Bravender, National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist, pointed out that the peak of the hurricane season is in August and September.
“So Calvin was early season for us. And that kind of worked to our benefit, with water temperatures still on the cool side,” Bravender said. “That’s what led to some of that weakening we saw east of the state. With warmer oceans, you have more heat and energy to
allow tropical storms and hurricanes to get stronger.”
“That’s the concern going into the future. Warmer waters could mean more intense hurricanes and more threats,” he said.
In May, the Central
Pacific Hurricane Center predicted a normal to above-normal hurricane season with as many as seven cyclones for our region of the Pacific from June to November.
“Calvin could be the first of what could be a busy season after we’ve had three very quiet years,” Bravender said.
Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, adjutant general of the state Department of Defense, said logistical planning for the storm was complicated by the fact that more than 1,700 Hawaii National Guard soldiers and a handful of airmen were deployed to Fort Johnson, La., for joint readiness training.
“That really took away a lot of our resources and capacity,” Hara said. But, he added, there were backup plans to get bodies to
Hawaii island if necessary.
James Barros, administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said federal, state, county and nonprofit agencies pulled together to prepare for the worst impacts of the storm.
“Everyone stepped up, got ready and thank goodness we didn’t have to exercise any of our plans,” he said. “It was a good dry run.”
Green praised officials across the state for their efforts in preparing for the storm.
“Early preparation is everything,” he said. “It decreases anxiety among all of the responding agencies. Having frequent communication makes a big difference. Also, it reminds our people that sooner or later we will have a large storm that makes a turn and hits us.”
