Hawaii County urges preparations ahead of leeward red flag warning
Big Island leeward residents are asked to be on high alert and take precautions as a red flag warning is anticipated to take affect today around 10 a.m. and continue through Monday.
As of Saturday morning, Hawaii County has been under a fire weather watch. The County’s Emergency Operation Center is being activated throughout the duration of the event.
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The fire weather watch issued by the National Weather Service covers all leeward areas of Hawaii Island, from North Kohala to Ka‘u and the interior communities. Conditions in these areas will lead to drier weather, significantly affecting Hawaii Island today and Monday.
A red flag warning is issued when the combination of dry vegetation and weather conditions create an extremely high fire risk.
The last red flag warning was issued in August.
Hawaii County highlights that these conditions are conducive to the rapid spread of wildfires, creating difficulties for containment.
Winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts of up to 40 mph and dryer conditions to impact Hawaii Island.
“We’re asking our residents to protect each other by being cautious and remaining mindful in their actions,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “We’ve seen these conditions lead to multiple fires along our leeward coast in the past, and we want to ensure we do all we can to prevent them to the best of our ability.
These fires can potentially put our firefighters and communities at large in harm’s way. By remaining mindful and refraining from potentially risky behaviors, we can significantly reduce the chances of large brushfires this time around.”
Residents are also encouraged to visit the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization’s official website at https://www.hawaiiwildfire.org/home for valuable information on wildfire prevention and safety measures.
