Hurricane Lane: Officials warn about lack of shelter space as category 4 storm bears down on Hawaii

As Hawaii braced itself for Hurricane Lane‘s 100mph plus winds, officials in the US state warned there was not enough storm shelter space for everyone.

Emergency Management Agency Administrator Tom Travis advised those who are not in flood zones to stay at home.

Shelters were nonetheless being readied to open on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai and Lanai and officials said they could open some on other islands when needed. They were also working to help Hawaii’s sizeable homeless population, many of whom live near beaches and streams that could flood.

The category 4 storm could strike with winds exceeding 100 mph, making it the most powerful storm to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.

Preparing to hunker down, residents emptied shop shelves, claimed the last sheets of plywood to board up windows and drained petrol pumps in the hope of having enough supplies to outlast potential power outages and other possible emergencies.

“Everyone is starting to buckle down at this point,” said Christyl Nagao of Kauai. “Our families are here. We have businesses and this and that. You just have to man your fort and hold on tight.”

Living in an isolated island state also means the possibility that essential goods can’t be shipped to Hawaii if the storm shuts down ports.

“You’re stuck here and resources might not get here in time,” Ms Nagao said.

The National Weather Service said the hurricane was expected to make a gradual turn toward the northwest, followed by a more northward motion into the islands on Thursday.

“The centre of Lane will move very close to or over the main Hawaiian Islands from Thursday through Saturday,” it said.

Public schools were closed for the rest of the week and local government workers were told to stay at home unless they were essential employees.

Many residents were trying to reinforce older homes made with single-wall construction.

“We’re planning on boarding up all our windows and sliding doors,” Napua Puaoi of Wailuku, Maui, said after buying 16 pieces of plywood from a DIY store. “As soon as my husband comes home ... He has all the power tools.”

Melanie Davis, who lives in a suburb outside Honolulu, said she was gathering canned food and baby formula.

“We’re getting some bags of rice and of course, some Spam,” she said of the canned lunch meat.

She was also organising important documents into a folder – birth and marriage certificates, social security cards, insurance paperwork – and making sure her three children, all under four, have flotation devices such as swimming vests, ”just in case.”

Meteorologist Chevy Chevalier said the storm may “gradually weaken as it gets closer to the islands”.

He added: “That being said, on our current forecast, as of the afternoon on Thursday, we still have it as a major hurricane.”

The US Navy also began moving its ships and submarines out of Hawaii. All vessels not currently undergoing maintenance were being positioned to help respond after the storm, if needed. Navy aircraft will be kept in hangars or flown to other airfields to avoid the storm.

The central Pacific gets fewer hurricanes than other regions, with about only four or five named storms a year. Hawaii rarely gets hit. The last major storm to hit was Iniki in 1992. Others have come close in recent years.

“Winds tend to steer storms away from there,” said Princeton University climate scientist Gabe Vecchi. He added upper level winds, called shear, tend to be strong enough to tear storms apart.

Agencies contributed to this report