The tropical storm is fading

Hawaii was hit by a tropical storm that gradually weakened, soaking a part of Maui and sending gusts of wind that knocked down trees and canceled flights at several state airports.

Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa urged residents and visitors to stay off the road until tropical storm Olivia passed, but he hoped the effects of the storm on his country would be limited. .

"It was a test, but we are coming pretty well," said Arakawa. "I do not see very large areas of damage, no homes destroyed or flooded with all kinds of extreme measures as we have done in previous storms."

The Central Hurricane Center in the Central Pacific indicated that Olivia was about 75 kilometers south of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, the most populous island in the world. l & # 39; State. The storm had sustained winds of up to 40 mph (65 km / h).

The storm landed twice: once in the mountains of western Maui and again on Lanai before continuing to move to the west.

Lori-Lei Rawlins-Crivello, owner of one of the two petrol stations on the small island of Molokai, said she was watching the rise of a nearby river.

She shut down her Texaco gas station in the afternoon. Most stores in Kaunakakai, the largest city on the island, have been closed, she added.

A flash flood warning has been issued for Molokai Island and Maui. A gust of 51 mph (82 km / h) was recorded at the Lanai Island Airport.

A rain gauge recorded 7.2 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in 24 hours at West Wailua Iki, Maui.

The storm, which was a hurricane earlier in the week, slowly lost power as it approached and crossed the state.

Matthew Foster, a meteorologist at the Hurricane Center, said the strong winds would likely continue on Maui early in the afternoon and begin to die. They will linger on Oahu in the early evening.

The tropical storm warnings were canceled overnight for Big Island and Kauai, but remain in place for Oahu, Maui and the small islands around Maui.

Schools, courts and government offices were closed in Maui County in anticipation of the storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent emergency teams and supplies to Maui before the storm. The National Guard mobilized personnel and trucks on the east side of Maui.

President Donald Trump has signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii, which will help FEMA react, Governor David Ige said.

Hawaiian Airlines has canceled flights from its suburban airline, Ohana, by Hawaiian.

Big Island, Oahu and Kauai public schools were open.

Tourists, like Randy McQuay from Texas, did not let the storm dampen their vacation. "No, coming from Houston, we are used to storms and hurricanes," he said. "I did not expect to find one in Hawaii, but yes, we are used to it."

Solana Miller, who lives on the north shore of Oahu, said she was not too worried about Olivia.

"I think it will be mostly rain and wind, but we'll see, the last storm was supposed to be a Category 5 hurricane and it was only raining a few hours," she said.

Miller said that she had preparations for the passage of Hurricane Lane near the state last month.

"We sort of kept all the water and cans," she said, "so if something really hits, we'll be fine."

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Associated Press authors Caleb Jones in Honolulu and Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska contributed to this report.