The emergency shelter at the Kealakehe High School gym in Kaliua-Kona had only a trickle of families by Saturday morning. A mix of locals, tourists and homeless people were sitting tight as a light drizzle began to signal that storm Lala was on its way.
Hosia George, 45, brought his wife and two children to the gymnasium soon after it opened on Friday evening. During March’s Kona lows, a slow-moving seasonal rainstorm, a tree branch fell on a power line near their apartment building and left them without electricity for a week. He feared the same or worse could happen this time. Without a backup generator at home, he decided to go to the shelter. On Saturday morning, he unloaded a box full of rice crackers, chips, apples and other snacks he bought at the nearby Costco.
Mr. George, who moved to Hawaii from Micronesia a couple years ago, said he was not accustomed to these sorts of storms on his home island.
“I hope it will be OK,” he said.
Officials in Hawaii County, or on the Big Island, home to Kona, had opened 12 shelters across the island in advance of the storm, according to an update on Friday. Eight shelters opened on Oahu, the island that includes Honolulu, according to local officials.
Nearby, Alexander Wetzel, 42, sat in plastic chairs with his wife and two young daughters, munching on yogurt and granola. The family members were visiting from Germany and had spent the week hiking and exploring a volcano on the island. Then they learned on Thursday that a big storm was on its way. The family was unsure how their Airbnb would fare, and they worried blocked roads could leave them stranded.
“So finally we decided because of the children to go the safest way as possible and came here,” Mr. Wetzel said.
At the entrance of the gym, Gordon Hardy rolled up in his Jeep with muffins, croissants, trail mix and sports drinks.
“I just bought a bunch of a food there to bring here for folks who need it,” Mr. Hardy said.
“I’m one guy, but I’m doing what I can,” he added.
Mr. Hardy was planning to wait out the storm by playing board games at home with his family. He had already made his own preparations there but wanted to lend others a hand before it was time to hunker down.
Mayor Kimo Alameda of Hawaii County said staff members began contacting homeless people on Thursday, according to the news outlet Honolulu Civil Beat. A county representative on Saturday did not immediately return a request for comment on how homeless people had been helped.
At the shelter, Mr. Hardy said hello to Randy Collett, 68, an old acquaintance. Mr. Collett, who is homeless, sat in a wheelchair outside the gym. He had caught a ride to the school on Friday night with the help of a woman who does work supporting homeless people in the area.
“We’re all in it together,” he said.
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