HONOLULU — Gov. Josh Green, along with other state officials, held a post-Tropical Storm Calvin press conference on Wednesday morning, where he used the storm as an opportunity to remind Hawai‘i residents to prepare for hurricane season.
“It is safe to say that the worst is past now as far as the storm goes, but we will still ask for care, especially today,” said Green shortly after 11:30 a.m. at the Capitol.
“But as the storm passes, we should be in the clear and we’ll be able to close the book on Tropical Storm Calvin.”
Green was relieved to report no injuries or major damages caused by the storm, which brought localized flooding and minor wind damage to southeast portions of Hawai‘i Island. Officials had initially said the storm would pass over more of the state, but it gradually shifted further south and away from the Hawaiian Islands.
Green called the storm a good reminder for all people in the state to prepare for hurricane season, which runs through the end of November.
“If we’d had a direct hit, it would have been necessary to have two weeks of water, two weeks of food, two weeks of medication to be ready,” he said.
“So we’re grateful to have had the first run of the hurricane season in a safe, controlled way,” he added.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Warning Coordination Meteorologist John Bravender explained how the tropical storm warning for Hawai‘i County was canceled on Wednesday morning.
“During the overnight hours (Wednesday) morning, it lost all of its deep thunderstorms that define a tropical cyclone,” Bravender said, adding that the island would still see another 12 to 24 hours of strong winds.
He later called Calvin a “dry run” for people to think of how they would respond to more intense storms or hurricanes.
“If it didn’t pass south of us, if it passed over us, how would you react and be prepared for that as we get into what could be a year of above-normal hurricane season?” said Bravender.
Green also echoed those sentiments, saying the islands would inevitably face stronger storms.
“Sooner or later we will have a large storm that makes a turn and hits us,” said Green, adding that would include handling major damage, the need to bring in federal support, and people being stranded.
State Adjutant General Kenneth Hara spoke of the Hawai‘i National Guard’s storm preparations, noting that they were ready to support the islands despite having reduced staff. He noted that 1,700 soldiers and a handful of airmen have been deployed to Fort Johnson Louisiana to participate in the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Teams Joint Readiness Training.
“That really took away a lot of our resources and capacity,” Hara said. “But we had plans available ready to execute to be able to get soldiers and airmen to Hawai‘i Island if they needed that support. So thanks to the National Guard.”
Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency Administrator James Barros also thanked military partners at the federal level.
“It’s very comforting to see our federal partners step up … and come with their resources ready to support the state,” he said.
“Everyone stepped up, got ready, and thank goodness we didn’t have to exercise any more plans,” he added.
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Emma Grunwald, reporter, can be reached 808-652-0638 or egrunwald@thegardenisland.com.
