Hawaii Residents Prepare for Hurricane Ana Impacts

Hurricane Ana pushed south of Hawaii's Big Island early Saturday morning EDT, generating heavy rains and winds.

As of Saturday morning, the storm, which was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane Friday, had weakened slightly, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. Very little change in strength is expected throughout the day Saturday.

Although the center of Hurricane Ana passed south of the Hawaiian Islands, some impacts will still be seen. The National Weather Service issued a public alert about outer rain bands moving onto the Big Island at 2 a.m. local time Saturday morning (8 a.m. EDT). 

(MORE: Hurricane Ana Forecast)

Waves were expected to crest to 10 to 15 feet on both the North and South shores of Hawaii's islands late Saturday and to remain tall through Sunday. The National Weather Service had flood advisories in place for the Big Island until 7:30 a.m. HST (9:30 a.m. PDT) and Honolulu until 8:30 a.m. HST (10:30 a.m. PDT).

Gov. Neil Abercrombie declared a state of emergency Friday, which will allow the state to access state and federal resources.

Ana became a Category 1 hurricane earlier in the day when it was about 230 miles south of Hilo. Shortly before midnight, it had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and was churning along its course at 13 mph.

The hurricane was expected to gradually weaken to become a tropical storm again by early Sunday morning, Chris Brenchley, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Hawaii, told The Associated Press.

Swells were picking up on the Big Island's south shores Friday afternoon, with 15-foot waves seen in Pohoiki Bay.

But the approaching storm didn't stop some tourists in Honolulu from spending time around the beach Friday.

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"We cannot see any threat here," said Sergei Bygchkov of Vancouver, Canada. "It's just a little bit rainy and that's it and a little bit windy."

Tourists Kim and Adam Stocker from New Hampshire were exploring the Big Island's West side, and weren't going to let a storm interfere with their first trip to Hawaii.

"It's like 'I don't care, I'm going. Hurricane or not,'" said Adam Stocker, 49. "I got the time off. It's already paid for."

Vicky Hall, from Manchester, England, had to leave a Big Island campground Friday morning because it closed for the storm. Her fiance and friends booked two nights lodging, so they would have a place to spend the night.

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"We're not worried. We just wish we could go to the beach," said, Hall, 29, while sunbathing on a grassy lawn in the Alii Drive tourist district.

The Hawaii chapter of the American Red Cross planned to opened evacuation shelters on the Big Island at noon Friday. Island Air planned to suspend its Maui and Lanai flights Saturday afternoon and all flights Sunday, but airports remained open.

On Oahu, buses and trash pickup remained on their normal schedule. Less rain was expected than previously predicted, but officials remained concerned about high surf, storm surge and flooding, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said.

"It looks a little better, but we're still preparing for the worst," Caldwell said. "We don't want to scare anybody if unnecessary, but we want to be ready."

Camping permits on Oahu were revoked for the weekend, but most parks remained open except for Hanauma Bay, which will be closed on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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