Hawaii Braces for Hurricane Lowell as Residents Stock Up on Emergency Supplies

Hawaii residents are scrambling to prepare for powerful Hurricane Lowell, which is expected to bring dangerous winds, rain, and surf to the islands. The state has declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, with its first impacts expected as soon as Monday.

The only Home Depot store in Kauai sold out of emergency equipment, including generators, tarps, and plywood, as locals rushed to stock up. Manager Albert Johnson described the scenes as a 'madhouse', with hundreds of calls every day for supplies.

Lowell is currently a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 125mph, but forecasters expect it to weaken to a Category 2 storm as it approaches Hawaii. The projected path could spare the islands from Lowell's most destructive winds, but officials are still warning of heavy rain and hazardous coastal conditions.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green noted that this is the third storm to threaten the state in just over three weeks, following Tropical Storm Moke and Hurricane Lala, which caused $43million in infrastructure damage on the Big Island.