‘Storm fatigue’: Hawaiians recover from back-to-back hurricanes as Nolo threats diminish

HILO, Hawaii — Hawaiians are tired of storms, Hilo’s mayor said Sunday, as the third hurricane to approach the islands in recent weeks continues to circle offshore.

This relatively calm state has been hit by the effects of several hurricanes, including Lala, Lowell and now Nolo, while the eastern and central Pacific have produced at least 19 named storms. None of the three hurricanes made landfall in Hawaii.

“So there is storm fatigue and some post-traumatic stress,” Mayor Kimo Alameda told NBC News on Sunday.

“I mean, you know, there’s a lot of anxiety around the weather now. You know, a lot of our people in the South have experienced, you know, catastrophic flooding,” he said, referring to the impacts of Hurricane Lala last month.

That storm killed two people, Alameda said, and damaged more than 200 homes without making landfall. Governor Josh Green then issued three disaster proclamations related to damage from separate storms in the month of September alone.

Authorities reported some rescues but no deaths or major damage in Nolo.

“We took some hits in some parts of the island,” Alameda said. “For the most part, we dodged a huge bullet. It could have been a lot worse.”

More than 120 National Guard members were activated on Nolo Island, among about 400 statewide, after Green issued an emergency proclamation. President Donald Trump recently approved an emergency declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate aid and provide financial support.

In Nā’ālehu, on the southern tip of the island, Peggy McKibbin surveyed silt-covered roads from her four-wheeler on Sunday and pointed out the lingering damage caused by Lala – a bakery, fire station and hardware store destroyed.

“Everyone was very affected by this,” McKibbin said.

Nolo was a major Category 4 hurricane as of Sunday afternoon and is expected to strengthen, but the center is expected to remain south and southwest of the Hawaiian Islands.

A hurricane watch was in effect for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, which the storm was expected to approach Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The Pacific has been unusually active this season, according to National Weather Service chief forecaster Bob Oravec, with above-average storm activity during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He added that this trend is consistent with El Niño years, where the Pacific often experiences more tropical storms and hurricanes.

Alameda, the Hilo mayor, said people are prepared if another hurricane hits.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of practice,” he said, pointing to a recent tsunami threat and earthquake, as well as a precautionary eye on Kīlauea Volcano.

Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, meanwhile, was bracing for the arrival of major Hurricane Polo on Monday, after hitting parts of the country’s southwest coast with rain and strong winds. Polo remained a dangerous Category 3 storm with sustained winds reaching 125 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday afternoon.

Polo was moving north-northwest at 12 mph, about 285 miles west-southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of the peninsula, according to the hurricane center.

The Mexican navy said in a statement it had assembled personnel and humanitarian aid at the ports of Guaymas and Mazatlán on the Pacific coast and deployed three ships capable of delivering aid to coastal communities isolated by the hurricane.

Also on Sunday, Tropical Storm Rachel formed off the southwest coast of Mexico. Rachel had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was about 275 miles south of Acapulco. A tropical storm watch was in effect.

Ryan Chandler, Shanshan Dong and the Associated Press reported from Hilo and Dennis Romero from San Diego.