No Filipinos severely affected by Hurricane Lane in Hawaii – DFA

HURRICANE LANE. A large home on the coast is hit by waves from Hurricane Lane on August 24, 2018 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo by Kat Wade/Getty Images/AFP

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday, August 25 said no Filipinos have been reported severely affected by Hurricane Lane that continues to threaten Hawaii.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs continues to check on the situation of the 375,000-strong Filipino community in Hawaii as it monitors the progress of Hurricane Lane," the DFA said in a statement on Saturday.

Torrential rain ravaged Hawaii on Friday, August 24, as Hurricane Lane triggered landslides and "catastrophic" flooding, prompting US President Donald Trump to declare a state of emergency in the island state.

Brad Kieserman, vice president of Disaster Operations and Logistics for the American Red Cross, told a news conference that more than 2,000 people were sheltered in 45 evacuation centers.

According to Joselito Jimeno, the Philippine consul general to Honolulu, leaders of Filipino communities in the islands of Kona, Hilo, Maui, and Kauai informed them that "there are no Filipinos so far reported to have been affected by the flooding and landslides in the affected islands."

However, an undetermined number of Filipinos and other foreign fishermen from Pier 7 in Honolulu have been relocated by authorities to safer land.

The Consulate General advised the Filipino community in Hawaii to remain vigilant despite Hurricane Lane being downgraded to a Category 1 storm

Meteorologists have downgraded the system to a Category 1 storm as of Saturday, with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com