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Arizona Memorial boat tours suspended due to Hurricane Lane

DENNIS ODA / JULY 21

Tour boats to the USS Arizona Memorial have been suspended ahead of Hurricane Lane.

Tour boats to the USS Arizona Memorial have been suspended, and ships and planes at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam are expected to be moved from the harbor and airport ahead of Hurricane Lane, according to a joint base post early this afternoon on Facebook.

The Navy and Air Force base said it currently is at Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness 3, indicating that destructive and sustained winds of 50 knots (57 mph) or greater are possible within 48 hours.

Officials urged military and Defense Department personnel and their families to complete their disaster kits and emergency preparations.

The joint base said it “continues to operate its Emergency Operations Center to monitor the hurricane and ensure the safety and security of base personnel,” and it “continues to be fully mission capable with potential follow-on actions contingent upon weather updates.”

At readiness level 3, the base is expected to close the Ford Island bridge depending on wind speed as follows: 35 knots, closed to large high profile vehicles (large tour buses and tractor trailers); 45 knots, closed to all other trucks (all other cars, minivans, and motorcycles proceed with caution); 50 knots, closed to all vehicles.

No additional gate closures are expected at level 3; however, other gates may begin to close at level 2 as conditions warrant, the joint base said.

Level 2 includes the expectation of destructive winds of 50 knots or greater within 24 hours.

The Nimitz gate and O’Malley gates will remain open 24 hours, with a modified schedule as necessary. Drivers are advised to anticipate possible road or gate closures and limit their travel.

“When the National Weather Service publishes a hurricane warning 36 hours prior to landfall, it is anticipated that Hawaii Department of Education schools will close,” the base said.

“For residents living on base, be prepared to safely shelter in place; no evacuations are currently planned for (joint base) housing areas at this time,” according to the Facebook post.

Base residents located within a flood zone will be notified if they are to be relocated to safe havens on base. For residents living off base, particularly in coastal evacuation zones or in areas prone to flooding, be aware of the locations of the nearest City and County of Honolulu shelters in the event you need to evacuate to a shelter as a last resort, the Navy and Air Force said.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii said on its Facebook page that Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness level 4 had been set, meaning destructive winds of 50 knots or greater are possible within 72 hours.

In an attached report, the Marine Corps noted that hurricanes are “relatively rare events” in the Hawaiian Islands.

Since 1950, five tropical cyclones of varying intensity — Hurricane Nina (1957), Hurricane Dot (1959), Hurricane Iwa (1982), Hurricane Estelle (1986) and Hurricane Iniki (1992) — have caused $2.12 billion in damage and 11 deaths, according to the Marine Corps.