Federal declaration for Hawaii as Nolo passes; deadly nor'easter floods the Northeast

Hurricane Nolo passed farther south than forecast and spared Hawaii Island the worst case, but flooded roads on the Big Island, prompted five high-water rescues Sunday and knocked out power on Oahu and Maui. A pre-landfall Presidential Emergency Declaration approved Friday covers four counties at a 75 percent federal cost share. On the East Coast, the nor’easter killed a New York City Housing Authority worker struck by a falling tree Saturday in Brooklyn, drove outages past 100,000 customers at their peak, and produced the worst coastal flooding since Sandy at two Jersey Shore tide gauges. New Jersey and New York both declared states of emergency before landfall. The national preparedness level holds at 2 with 69 incidents and 6,003 personnel, down 305, and three new large fires, including one near Benton City, Washington, that destroyed seven structures. The EMN NEWS Daily Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hawaii outcome: Nolo tracked south of the main islands, with rainfall above 14 inches at the Big Island's highest elevations. Crews worked through Sunday on flooding, debris, high surf and wind. Highway 11 in Kau closed in multiple locations between Pahala and Waiohinu. Hawaii County Civil Defense is asking residents and businesses to report storm damage so agencies and nonprofit partners can assess unmet needs.

Hawaii infrastructure: The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply asked customers in affected service areas to limit water to essential health and safety needs, citing power outages and possible damage to water system infrastructure. County solid waste transfer stations in Kauai stayed closed, and the Hele-On Route 90 run to Kona was canceled.

Federal declaration: The pre-landfall declaration approved September 25 provides federal assistance for emergency protective measures in the City and County of Honolulu and Hawaii, Maui and Kauai counties, including direct federal assistance, at a 75 percent federal cost share. The State Emergency Operations Center remains at Level 1 full activation with 24-hour staffing, coordinating with FEMA Region IX, the counties and utilities.

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