Tropical Storm Moke nears Hawaii Big Island after Hurricane Lala devastation

Tropical Storm Moke is moving towards Hawaii, with the Big Island set for heavy rain and strong winds. The approach has deepened fears of flooding, mudslides and disruption in areas still reeling from Hurricane Lala.

In Short

• Forecasters expect the heaviest rain on the Big Island's southeast coast
• Isolated areas could receive up to 38 centimetres of rainfall
• Officials warned saturated ground could trigger mudslides, flooding and rip currents

Tropical Storm Moke moved towards Hawaii on Saturday, with forecasters saying it was likely to bring more heavy rain and strong winds to the Big Island, where people are still coping with severe flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Lala. The storm was expected to pass south of the island late on Saturday into early Sunday, with the Big Island likely to face the worst of its impact.

Moke, which formed in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, was forecast to continue moving west near the Hawaiian islands through early Tuesday. Officials urged residents to prepare, as fresh rain raised fears of flooding, mudslides and dangerous sea conditions in areas already hit hard by Lala.

The National Hurricane Centre said Moke was about 680 kilometres southeast of Hilo and moving west-northwest at 19 kph. Its maximum sustained winds were around 85 kph. Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, said the storm would still affect the windward and southeast parts of the Big Island, but added, "There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala."

Weekend rainfall on the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island was forecast at 13-25 centimetres, with isolated areas receiving up to 38 centimetres, Oswant said. Elsewhere across the island chain, 2-5 centimetres of rain was expected, though parts of east Maui could see up to 10 centimetres. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but authorities asked people to closely monitor the storm. The centre said the rainfall could trigger dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places where the ground remains saturated.

Lala had already caused major damage on the Big Island, bringing down trees, sweeping buildings off their foundations, damaging roads and bridges, and leaving roads covered in mud and rocks. Two storm-related deaths were reported. The northeast coast of the Big Island recorded the heaviest rainfall from Lala at 1.1 metres, according to the weather service. More than 8,000 customers on the Big Island were still without power, according to poweroutage.us. Hawaii Governor Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference ahead of Moke, urging people to restock food, medicines and other essentials. Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau on the east side of the Big Island, said, "There's definitely tension in the air" at the thought of more rain in communities where floodwaters had turned areas into rivers.

With Moke closing in, Hawaii officials warned that even if the storm is less severe than Lala, the Big Island remains vulnerable because of recent damage, waterlogged ground and continuing power cuts.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends