Tropical Storm Moke advances towards Hawaii with heavy rain, strong winds

For the second week in a row, Hawaii Island, also known as the Big Island, faces threats from an intensifying storm.Tropical Storm Moke is grinding towards Hawaii, bringing gusts of wind and heavy rain only a week after the islands faced similar conditions from Hurricane Lala.On Saturday, Hawaii residents prepared for the latest storm, which is expected to pass south of Hawaii Island, the largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, overnight and into the following morning.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Hurricane Lala weakens to a tropical storm, but flooding persists in Hawaiilist 2 of 3Storm Lala strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane as it nears Hawaiilist 3 of 3Tropical Storm Lala leaves Hawaii flooded and without powerend of listAs of 11am Hawaii Standard Time (21:00 GMT), Moke was located about 684 kilometres, or 425 miles, south of Hilo, a city on the eastern coast of Hawaii Island. It was moving west-northwest at 19km/h (12mph).The National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the United States reported that the storm’s maximum sustained winds were about 85km/h (50mph).Moke, like Lala, is forecast to spare the Big Island a potentially disastrous direct hit. But the island is still recovering from Lala, a Category 1 storm that spurred heavy flooding and power outages.At least one person died in last weekend’s storm.Lala came close enough to Hawaii Island to dump more than 1,000mm (39 inches) of rain in some locations, causing rivers to burst their banks.High winds also bent tall palm trees and downed electrical lines, forcing nearly 130,000 utility customers to lose power.Hawaii Governor Josh Green and other state officials have urged people to prepare for Moke by restocking food, medicine and other daily essentials ahead of the storm’s passage.“It could certainly have a big impact because we’ve already been hit hard,” Green said in a video statement. “We’re pre-positioning all kinds of additional equipment and people. I’ve also authorised 100 rooms, hotel rooms, for people to go to, in case they don’t have enough services or protection, safety.”