We go to Hawaii to get close to Mother Nature, but sometimes She gets just a little too close.
While heavy rain and wind were pelting the Hawaiian islands from above yesterday, the ground shook from below.
Tropical Storm Flossie dumped as much as six inches of rain on parts of the Big Island yesterday, knocking out power and cancelling flights.
And no, it wasn’t the sound of thunder but rather a 3.5 magnitude earthquake that struck at the same time, off Oahu.
The good news: the quake, about eight miles offshore, and was too small to create a tsunami.
Heavy rain and wind downed trees on the Big Island island and knocked out power in the Puna area yesterday.
Flossie was downgraded to a tropical depression last night by the National Weather Service as trade winds broke the layers of the storm apart, but airlines have canceled flights and hotels are offering discounts to travelers who find they can’t go home quite yet.
Alaska Airlines, for example, offered to refund tickets or waive change fees and fare differentials for Monday and Tuesday flights for reticketing by today for flights until August 2.
Missing a direct hit on Honolulu, Flossie is expected to cross Oahu and Kauai today.
Beaches, harbors and three ports were closed, along with trails and campgrounds.
By Cheryl Rosen
