Gov. David Ige, Karen Armes, Acting Regional Administrator for FEMA Region IX, and Major General Arthur J. Logan, Director of Emergency Management, sign the 2015 Hawaii Catastrophic Hurricane Plan (photo courtesy Office of the Governor).

HONOLULU – State leaders enacted the 2015 Hawaii Catastrophic Hurricane Plan during a small signing ceremony on Oahu today. Its good timing. Officials pointed out that Hawaii faces another potential tropical cyclone in the form of Hilda, a Category 1 hurricane currently 1200 miles east-southeast of Hilo.

Today also marks the one year anniversary of Iselle, which battered East Hawaii (Puna, especially) as a Hurricane before making landfall as a tropical storm on August 7, 2014. The state was working on the 2015 Hawaii Catastrophic Hurricane Plan well before Iselle. Officials say it was a two year effort.

“The Catastrophic Hurricane Plan provides strategies for joint state and federal actions before, during, and after a catastrophic event,” explained Doug Mayne, Administrator of Emergency Management, in a media release. “The two-year planning process we underwent places us in a great position to collaborate with our federal partners, state and county agencies, non-profits, the private sector and local communities to ensure we minimize suffering from the impact of a catastrophic hurricane.”

In the same media release, the state had a brief update on Hilda:

“Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) initiated coordination efforts with the National Weather Service (NWS) and emergency management partners for Hurricane Hilda. NWS briefed today that Hilda is a Category 1 hurricane 1200 miles east-southeast of Hilo. There is currently a 5% chance that Hawaii Island may see tropical storm force winds sometime Wednesday morning.

HI-EMA recommends residents and visitors continue to monitor local news broadcasts for the latest on Hurricane Hilda.”