Hawaii hit by first wave of double hurricane

While Britain is dealing with the tail end of Hurricane Bertha, Hawaii is bracing to be hit by a rare double hurricane.

Tropical storm Iselle hit battered the Hawaiian islands with heavy rain and strong winds this weekend after being downgraded, while residents and tourists also hankered down for the more powerful Hurricane Julio set to follow in Iselle's wake.

Over 23,000 people were left without power on the Big Island and Maui after Iselle hit with winds up to 50mph. Around 2,000 people took refuge in evacuation shelters as she passed.

All ports were closed and the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warnings for the entire Big Island.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Governor Neil Abercrombie told a news conference: "The fact that the storm appears a bit benign at the moment is due to the fact that it hit the Big Island. This is not Kansas, this is not Florida.

"Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa are formidable topographical features, and the storm smacked into these great volcanic mountains and (that) helped to break it apart, but the wind and rain part of it are still moving.

"We are going to get hit with huge amounts of rain coming down and gusting winds that can put debris out there."

Julio is now reportedly heading towards the island, carrying winds of up to 105mph.

Even if the eye of the storm veers away from Hawaii, high winds and heavy rain are expected.

While many schools and offices remain closed, airports have been kept open so planes could land in an emergency.

Eric Lau, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, told Time: "The Big Island will get the worst of it.

"People should expect potential power outages, downed trees and flying debris. It's not a common occurrence here."

In fact, Hawaii has not been hit by a hurricane since September 1992, when Hurricane Iniki struck.

Time adds that local press have described the hurricanes as a meteorological "one-two punch" - two storms, relatively weak on their own, that together will bring potentially dangerous conditions for up to five days.

To help tourists avoid the storms, Hawaiian Airlines temporarily waived the reservation change fee.

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