HILO, Hawaii – Its hard to believe that on this sunny and cloudless day in Hilo, a tropical storm is bearing down on the island, only hours away from landfall.

Luckily, news was getting out into community about the pending arrival of Flossie. There were doubts about the effects the storm might have on Hawaii County (many residents believe the massive Mauna Kea somehow wards off threatening storms). But most were taking the warning seriously.

Here are a few videos taken about town, showing how different people were preparing to batten down the hatches – or not – as Flossie nears.

11:00 a.m. – Wailoa Small Boat Harbor

ABOVE: Hilo’s seafaring folk were out at Wailoa Small Boat Harbor, pulling their vessels to safety. We met up with Jack Furtado of Honolii, who came down with his family to hoist his boat, Ano’ipua, out of the water.

12:15 p.m. – Keaukaha

ABOVE: Hard choices for the families enjoying summer by Puhi Bay in Keaukaha. With only a week left for camping before the end of summer, it was not a hard decision for some to knock ’em down before Flossie arrives. But others – like Edna Anderson – were not so easily chased from the water’s edge. “If they like, take ’em!” she said of Flossie taking her tent. “We got Mauna Kea. That storm is going to get a whiff of cold air, and its gonna pull away.”

2:30 p.m. – Hawaii County Civil Defense HQ in Hilo

ABOVE: We returned to the Hawaii County Civil Defense headquarters in Hilo to touch base with county officials after an important National Weather Service briefing. No one seemed to be breathing any easier after getting the latest information. Flossie has not weakened as much as they had hoped it would by this point, and now the storm is approaching some warmer water as it tracks west, which could sustain or strengthen it. Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira took the time to fill us in during this interview.