Hurricane Flossie buffets Hawaii By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer

Hurricane Flossie buffets Hawaii By AUDREY McAVOY, Associated Press Writer
21 minutes ago



SOUTH POINT, Hawaii - Schools and businesses across Hawaii's Big Island remained shut down as Hurricane Flossie turned the seas into roiling giant surf, though the storm was losing strength.

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Flossie spent most of its wrath at sea, but residents stocked up on supplies and then stayed home Tuesday in anticipation of possible flooding and wind damage from the first hurricane to come so close to the islands in 15 years.

Other Hawaiian islands, including the main island of Oahu, enjoyed tropical breezes and mostly sunny skies, with little impact on tourism or commerce.

Gov. Linda Lingle signed an emergency disaster declaration and canceled a trip to the Big Island before the storm hit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched 20 transportation, aviation, public works and health experts to the island as a precaution. Emergency shelters were opened but attracted only displaced campers and a few stray tourists.

A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning issued for the Big Island by the National Weather Service remained in effect. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island in anticipation of as much as 10 inches of rain.

At 2 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Flossie was located about 95 miles south of South Point, the southernmost area of the United States, and about 310 miles south-southeast of Honolulu. It was moving north-northwest at about 10 mph.

The Central Pacific Hurricane Center downgraded the hurricane to a Category 2 after maximum sustained winds had dropped to 85 mph, down from 105 mph.

Aircraft reconnaissance found the eye of the hurricane had disappeared, an indication the storm continued to weaken, the center said.

Cruise ship operator NCL America altered itineraries for its two giant ships that ply the islands.

Pride of America was to spend the day at sea Wednesday instead of calling at Kona, where a normally busy beach was empty. Pride of Hawaii had spent the day at sea Tuesday instead of having passengers go ashore at Hilo.

The storm arrived after a 5.4-magnitude earthquake centered 25 miles south of Hilo. The quake Monday night, followed by two dozen aftershocks, caused a small landslide, but authorities said there were no reports of injuries or structural damage.

National Guard Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, the state's adjutant general, had said the storm was "too close for comfort."

Eight tourists from Santa Cruz, Calif., abandoned their condominium Tuesday and took refuge at the Ka'u High School shelter in case the storm worsened.

"We didn't want anyone to have to take care of us because we weren't taking care of ourselves," Robin Steinberg said.

At South Point, resident Brianna Beck visited a favorite swimming spot Tuesday to watch the rising waves. Her family prepared for the hurricane by taping windows and tying down everything in their yard. The ocean currents were much stronger than normal, said Beck, 21.

"This is pretty intense," she said.

In the nearby town of Naalehu, small businesses such as the Star Wash coin laundry had signs saying they were closed for the day.

According to the Red Cross, a special hurricane shelter in Kealakehe, farther north, harbored 15 people overnight Monday. Most were campers ordered out of parks that were closed because of the approaching storm.

"I'm a lot more optimistic than I was, but the reality is, you just don't know until it passes you by," said Marty Moran, a volunteer coordinator for the Red Cross.

While Flossie stirred up the Pacific, a tropical storm watch was issued Tuesday night for the Texas coast as a tropical depression formed in the Gulf of Mexico. And in the open Atlantic, Tropical Storm Dean formed east of the Lesser Antilles.

In Hawaii, Lingle signed an emergency disaster proclamation, which activated the National Guard. Hawaii Island Mayor Harry Kim also declared a state of emergency Monday as a precaution.

The Big Island is largely rural, with about 170,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest. Other islands were expected to get much less wind and rain.

The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5 billion in damage.

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On the Net:

Central Pacific Hurricane Center: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/cphc/

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/