weather

Recent flooding in Mississippi and other parts of the country serves as a reminder to Hawaiʻi homeowners to make sure they’re as prepared as possible for water-related emergencies. Flooding can be one of the more damaging events in our lives, says Frank Mansell with FEMA’s Region 9 office in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The large wildfire burning on Hawaiʻi Island was 80% contained on Tuesday. The Conversation talked with Steve Bergfeld from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to learn the latest.

A large wildfire in a rural area on the Big Island is not threatening any homes, but high winds and extremely dry conditions are making it difficult for crews to contain the blaze.

A viral video shows a wall of water wreaking havoc on a wedding party at the palace over the weekend. Manu Powers of the Daughters of Hawaiʻi, which oversees the 19th-century palace, says events like that are a reminder of the fragility of their seawall.

Big waves on the south shore certainly made for viral videos, particularly on the Big Island. The Conversation talked to Talmadge Magno from the Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense about the latest clean-up efforts.

Towering waves on Hawaiʻi's south shores crashed into local homes and businesses, spilled across highways and toppled tables at a wedding reception over the weekend. The National Weather Service says the large waves came from a combination of a southern swell that peaked Saturday evening, unusually high tides and rising sea levels from climate change.

Hurricane Darby is expected to weaken over the next two days as it moves south of the Big Island. Darby, which was southeast of Hilo on Thursday, will weaken into a tropical storm as it moves south of the state Saturday.

Hurricane Darby re-strengthened to a Category 3 on Wednesday but is still expected to weaken while moving westward over the Pacific. Darby is forecast to fade to a post-tropical depression before nearing Hawaiian longitudes at the weekend.

A drought affecting Maui will limit water supplies in Upcountry and West Maui later this week. Nonessential water activities like car-washing and landscaping will be prohibited. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon reports.

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency teamed up with architecture students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to create a prototype of a temporary shelter called Wiki Hale.