As emergency shelters opened, rain began to pour and cellphone alerts went out, the approaching hurricane started to feel real for Hawaii residents.
Hurricane Lane was forecast to continue its northwest turn into the islands on Thursday, which would make it the most powerful storm to hit Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
Those who lived in Hawaii when Iniki hit said they remember the "pandemonium" and were boarding up their houses and stockpiling water.
Officials opened shelters on the Big Island and the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai on Wednesday. They urged those needing to use the Molokai shelter to get there soon because of concerns the main highway could become impassable.
Three inches of rain fell in three hours on the Big Island on Wednesday.
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