Panicked residents empty shelves as Cat. 3 hurricane closes in on Hawaii today

Panicked residents empty shelves as Cat. 3 hurricane closes in on Hawaii today Hawaii residents are flocking to grocery stores and gas pumps before Hurricane Lowell hits the island this afternoon or evening View 4 Images Panicked residents emptied shelves before the hurricane hit Thousands of residents in Hawaii are rushing to stock up on essentials as Category 3 Hurricane Lowell barrels toward the island. ‌ The rush was occurred on Monday morning after officials declared a state of emergency as the hurricane was traveling at a whopping 120 miles per hour with strong wind gusts toward Hawaii. State officials urged residents of Kauai County to brace for impact after putting them under a hurricane warning when the storm's center was between 415 and 445 miles of the southwest coast of the island. Residents have been advised to expect hurricane weather conditions as early as Monday afternoon or evening, during which the wind gusts are expected to grow 30% stronger over the island's mountains. The winds will be accompanied by up to 14 inches of rain, which could trigger major flash flooding, mudslides and massive ocean waves. The storm is expected to carry into Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Article continues below Category 4 Hurricane Lowell threatens 1 million Americans celebrating Labor Day weekend READ MORE : Satellite images show Tropical Storm Moke advancing toward Hawaii as winds strengthen READ MORE : Gov. Josh Green declared a state of emergency on Friday, deploying National Guard troops to prepare for storm response. "We are taking Hurricane Lowell extremely seriously and preparing now, before conditions deteriorate,' Green said in a statement. "I urge everyone, especially those in Kauaʻi County, to complete their preparations, follow official alerts and stay away from floodwaters, dangerous surf and other hazardous areas." The hurricane is also occurring in tandem with several tornado threats, as officials warn of dangerous water conditions for surfing over the next few days. ‌ View 4 Images Map shows Hurricane Lowell barreling toward Hawaii The severe weather conditions have sent panicked Hawaiians scrambling for essentials that have already depleted store shelves, including low plywood stock to board up doors and windows, no propane to fuel generators and long lines at the gas pump at Costco, according to local news reports. Oahu resident Greg is currently visiting family on Kauai. He told local station KITV that supplies were low when he went shopping on Monday morning. ‌ View 4 Images Graphic reveals the path of the tropical storm "I think it looks like everybody gathered those items already. Everybody is out. Just making sure that all those items are gathered and whatnot," he told the outlet. KITV obtained photographs from outside a store with a sign warning anxious residents looking for last-minute supplies to search elsewhere after running out of propane. ‌ View 4 Images WARNING TAKEN FROM KITV NEWS MIRROR: Panic buying empties shelves as Category 3 hurricane closes in on Hawaii https://www.kitv.com/news/empty-shelves-in-stores-as-kauai-residents-prepare-for-hurricane-lowell/article_401726dd-dd9b-4338-8d1f-f2ba91143365.html Kauai resident Kiare Reis-Torres reminded the outlet that many locals fear a repeat of the devastating Hurricane Iniki, which occurred almost exactly 33 years ago on Sept. 11, 1993, and is considered the most powerful hurricane to strike the island in recorded history, according to Hawaii's Department of Defense, which notes the storm had sustained winds of 145 mph and gusts up to 227 mph. "I feel like people are kind of concerned, especially because of probably what they went through during Hurricane Iniki,' Reis-Torres said, adding that she also had difficulty shopping yesterday. "I've never experienced this, but I know that when I went to Big Save yesterday, most of the shelves were empty, and then I saw that Costco was just flooded with people. Everybody's just trying to grab their supplies," she said.