The "Tracking Ana" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Watching Hawaii News and wondering if we will be trapped in our hotel room on Maui, Hawaii.  Started a few days ago when we were visiting Kauai and heard that Tropical Storm Ana had formed in the Pacific and was going to strengthen to hurricane force by the end of the week.  It was moving toward Hawaii’s Big Island which was just hit two months ago by another destructive tropical storm.  Ana was expected to become a Category 1 hurricane this morning as it headed toward Hawaii.  Winds were expected to be between 74 to 95 mph when it hit the Big Island on Saturday morning. Today we traveled from Kauai to Maui which put us on the island that is directly to the west of the Big Island.  The storm could possibly hit the island head on or maybe just clip the southern end of the island, but either way the storm’s effects would be felt up to 100 miles outside its center.  The storm that struck this past August knocked down power lines and trees and has everyone worrying that Ana will do more damage.  The approaching storm carries an Hawaiian name since it originated in the central North Pacific.  Carol and I have been traveling to the Caribbean as well as three trips to Hawaii since 1999 and have never been involved in a weather emergency, but it looks like our luck may have run out.  Our home until the middle of next week is a hotel on the west side of Maui and we are hoping the storm will pass us, but just in case we are in the middle of the storm, the hotel is well built and our sliders on our 3rd floor room look as if they may be hurricane proof.  I don’t want any harm to come to the island or any of the hotels in the area, but I must admit I am getting excited about what it may be like to be caught in the middle of a hurricane.  I’ll keep you informed, but if I miss a day or two of posts, you’ll understand why.  The wait is now on and the TV and newspapers continue to update the island’s population about the event.  Cancellations are already being announced as the government is preparing it’s residents for the worst. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.