Hawaii braces for third consecutive hurricane as officials report growing fatigue
Hawaii's mayor said residents are experiencing storm fatigue after Hurricanes Lala, Lowell and the approaching Category 4 Hurricane Nolo, while emergency measures remain in place.
Hawaii is confronting its third named hurricane of the season as Hurricane Nolo, a Category 4 system, moved south-southwest of the islands on Sunday. The storm stayed offshore, prompting a hurricane watch for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and prompting state and federal emergency declarations.
Mayor Kimo Alameda of Hilo told reporters the community is dealing with “storm fatigue” and heightened anxiety after recent storms, noting that Hurricane Lala caused two deaths and damage to more than 200 homes despite not making landfall. Governor Josh Green issued three disaster proclamations in September, and more than 120 National Guard members were activated for Nolo, part of a statewide deployment of roughly 400 troops.
Local officials reported no deaths or major damage from Nolo, though some areas experienced minor impacts. “We did take some hits in some parts of the island,” Alameda said, adding that the islands “dodged a huge bullet.”
The Pacific has been unusually active, with the National Weather Service attributing the above-average storm frequency to El Niño conditions. The same pattern has also produced Hurricane Polo, a Category 3 storm, approaching Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, and Tropical Storm Rachel forming off Mexico’s southwest coast.
Federal assistance is being coordinated by FEMA following President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration, while the Mexican navy prepared personnel and aid for communities threatened by Polo.