With a flash flood watch in effect, HPR is continuing to receive the latest updates on the storm making its way across the state.
Retired Col. James Barros is the administrator for the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA).
Interview Highlights
On the latest forecast
BARROS: The forecast today is Kauaʻi will get the initial brunt, and towards the afternoon today, the storm moves over western Oʻahu … We think it'll kind of slow down and drop a lot in the, what we're hoping is it drops a lot in the channel, and then Maui gets a little bit and then Hawaiʻi doesn't get anything, pretty much moving west to east.
On preparedness
BARROS: We can anticipate the date and time that we'll get some winds and then the rains. This one kind of formed differently, and what we looked at on Monday wasn't what we looked at yesterday afternoon, and it's a little different this morning. So it's continually changing, this storm, but the preparedness across the state is very impressive. Great work with the counties and the county agencies out there prepping their islands, coming over the top with state folks and the National Guard, our private partners. So it's, from my perspective, very impressive on our posturing for this unknown storm.
On understanding watches, advisories, and warnings
BARROS: The messaging from the state and from the county, from National Weather Service, was we’re in this period of unpredictable wet season. …So when they see something forming … they'll give us an advisory, which is higher than a watch, or put us right in a warning to say something's happening right now. And because of this unpredictable weather pattern, I think it's very important that you stay aware of what the National Weather Service is telling us. When they put us in a high wind warning, they're telling us, ‘Hey, there's potential winds going on right now.’ And it's understanding when they give us a watch, advisory, a warning. So we're trying to amplify that message to the citizens of Hawaiʻi, like when there's a warning, that's the highest level for us from the National Weather Service. So really, be prepared.
On reminding residents to prepare
BARROS: If you have a game plan, you have your go bag, you have your two weeks ready, then we can survive whatever Mother Nature throws at us or whatever comes our way. But we got to have our family game plan. We got to communicate it to everybody in our family. ... And then if it's a rain bomb or if it's a hurricane or a tsunami, we have our plan, and we're ready to become survivors and not victims.
More storm updates from the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency can be found on their website here.
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This story aired on The Conversation on April 9, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
