Tropical Storm Iselle became the first tropical storm in 22 years to hit Hawaii on Friday, making landfall on the Big Island with winds of 60 mph.
The eye of the storm moved ashore about 5 miles east of Pahala at 2:30 a.m. local time Friday. Hours earlier, the National Weather Service downgraded Iselle from a hurricane as rain, strong winds and high surf lashed the eastern edge of the state.
So far, no deaths or major injuries have been reported.
The islands are facing another threat this weekend into early next week as Hurricane Julio, a Category 3 storm, is about 1,000 miles behind Iselle in the Pacific.
So far, the extent of Iselle's damage has been limited to downed trees and some roof damage, according to John Drummond of Hawaii County Civil Defense, who said about 21,000 homes are without power.
Rainfall totals of 5 to 8 inches, with up to 12 inches in some spots, are expected along Iselle's track, the National Weather Service said.
Across Hawaii, people have flowed into emergency shelters, airlines have canceled flights and the National Guard is at the ready.
On Thursday, long lines formed at some local stores, and bottled water and other hunker-down items flew off shelves.
Roger Acpal, a manager at a Costco near downtown Honolulu, said sales are brisk "but we are able to keep up with demand so far.''
"We got slammed as soon as the announcement about the hurricane came out," Acpal said. "Water, canned goods, generators and camping stoves were what people were buying."
Cher Takemoto, a teacher at Moanalua High School in Honolulu, said: "We've had so many tsunami warnings where nothing happened. Maybe this time it's real. We're praying for the best."
Hawaii has been directly hit by hurricanes only three times since 1950. The last time Hawaii was hit with a hurricane or tropical storm was in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki killed six people and destroyed more than 1,400 homes in Kauai.
