Hurricane Lane has set its path for Hawaii. A natural disaster is not an irregular occurrence for the islands, being especially vulnerable to tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding, and excessive lava flows as a result of their popular volcanic landmarks. Direct hits by a hurricane, however, especially with the magnitude of Lane, are incredibly few and far between.  

Hurricanes usually weaken or divert course when they reach the small islands of the large Pacific but Lane’s devastating effects are on course to ravage Hawaii. Already, the state has received over 31 inches of rain from the now reduced Category 2 storm. The power of Lane is not the reason for state and nationwide shock–the hurricane has continued to weaken from a Category 5 and is set to devolve into a tropical storm–it is rather the rarity of the situation. Contrary to Hawaii’s history with the cataclysmic weather, a mere two hurricanes have made landfall in Hawaii since the 1950s: Hurricane Dot (1959), and Hurricane Iniki (1992). 

The flooding is tremendous and the winds are rough but currently, the death toll remains at 0. This could change as the slow-moving storm continues to be a looming and powerful threat to begin Hurricane Season. Representatives are encouraging citizens and visitors to Hawaii not to remain complacent and to get prepared for survival.