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Hurricane, quake hit Hawaii
15/08/2007 09:13 - (SA)
South Point, Hawaii - Hours after getting jolted by a moderate earthquake, residents of Hawaii's Big Island holed up for a different force of nature: Hurricane Flossie, which brought pounding 7.6-metre waves and strong winds in a powerful but glancing blow.
Schools and many businesses closed and shelters opened in anticipation of the hurricane, which was downgraded to a Category 2 with top sustained winds of 169kph.
The slowing storm began moving past the Big Island in the afternoon and passed within 137km late on Tuesday with winds exceeding 64kph and 25cm of rain.
Earthquake
The storm comes on the heels of a 5.4-magnitude earthquake centred 40km south of Hilo. The quake on Monday night caused a small landslide, but there were no reports of injuries or structural damage, said Tom Brown, a spokesperson for Hawaii County Civil Defence.
More than two dozen aftershocks followed, the largest measuring magnitude 3.2, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist in charge at the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Centre said Flossie will pass the Hawaiian Island chain and weaken below hurricane strength within 48 hours.
Anticipating Flossie, the Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched a 20-person advance emergency response team that arrived in Hawaii on Monday, spokesperson Kim Walz said. The team includes specialists in areas of transportation, aviation, public works and health.
The National Weather Service placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning because of the storm, which was supposed to affect the island through Wednesday. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island.
'This is pretty intense'
At South Point, the southernmost spot in the United States, resident Brianna Beck visited a favourite swimming spot to watch the waves. Her family prepared for the hurricane by taping the windows and tying down everything in their yard.
The currents were much stronger than normal, said Beck, 21.
"This is pretty intense," she said.
The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5bn in damage.
Frank Carpenter, co-owner of the surfboard and kayak rental shop Kona Boys in Kealakekua, said his normal customer flow of several hundred per day had dwindled to a trickle, as people avoided the water. But he said there were a lot of calls about surf conditions.
"Over the next couple of days, with any luck, it will turn up a little bit of surf and it will be good for business," he said. "We'll start getting people who are looking for a bit of action in the ocean."
- AP
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