Hurricane Lane, the first major storm to threaten the Hawaiian Islands in several years, is making its way toward the islands. Life-threatening rains and flooding are expected. (See Hurricane Lane unleashes flooding and landslides as it gets closer to Hawaii.) Yesterday, GraceConnect.us checked the Charis Fellowship pastors in Hawaii to see how their congregations are faring and how we can pray for them as the storm advances. Both churches are located on the island of Oahu, on the south-central side, just north of Pearl Harbor.
Ted Kirnbauer, pastor, Grace Fellowship, Waipahu
Thanks for your prayers and concern. The schools (including our preschool) are closed for Thursday and Friday in anticipation of the hurricane. People have been piling into the stores to fill up on gas and water and extra food items. There was no water left at our supermarket as of Wednesday so we filled up whatever containers we have. We also picked up anything loose laying around the outside of the house and moved potted plants into covered areas.
It’s always hard to know what to expect. This is a pretty major hurricane. It is slow moving up the island chain which is bad since it will linger to dump a lot of water. It should hit our side of the island (Oahu) by Friday, but there is a 70% chance of rain predicted already for today. Flash flood warnings are posted but on Oahu no rain so far.
It’s 6:20 a.m. and I am meeting a guy for accountability- hardly any cars on the road.
Frank L. Figueroa, pastor, Waipio Grace Brethren Church, Mililani
What Ted has said is true. All of the stores have been depleted of most of the essentials including water, toilet paper, canned foods, batteries, lanterns, and generators. Even propane gas has been hard to fine and people have been waiting in line for hours just to fill up their propane tanks.