Two Pacific hurricanes are bearing down on populated coastlines this week and the infrastructure that's supposed to protect people is already running on fumes — with working families in Hawaii facing their third tropical cyclone of the year and Mexico's mountainous poor left to fend for themselves yet again.
Tropical Storm Nolo is forecast to become a hurricane by Thursday and slam into Hawaii's Big Island as soon as Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. A hurricane watch covers the entire Big Island. The real threat isn't wind — it's water. John Bravender, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu, warned that 20 to 30 inches of rain could fall through Saturday on the island's southeast side. "That by itself could cause catastrophic flooding," Bravender said, "but when you put that on top of grounds that we've been raining off and on for the last couple of months… that rain could cause even more damage."
That southeast region is the same area walloped by Hurricane Lala in August. USA Today noted this is the third tropical cyclone to threaten Hawaii this year. The flood watch already extends across the Big Island, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, and Kahoolawe through Saturday afternoon. AccuWeather projects rainfall could hit 24 to 36 inches at higher elevations. The hurricane center's forecast puts Nolo roughly 100 miles south-southeast of the Big Island late Friday night with sustained winds near 110 mph — just under Category 3 strength.
NPR, which split its coverage between Hawaii and Mexico, buried the more damning detail about disaster response south of the border. Much of Guerrero state — directly in Hurricane Polo's path — is rural, mountainous, and poor. NPR reported that "residents routinely complain authorities abandon them to fend for themselves during natural disasters." Polo is packing 160 mph winds and could dump 4 to 6 inches of rain on the coast through Thursday. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said the storm wasn't expected to make landfall, but the National Hurricane Center still warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
Concepción López Villegas, a restaurant owner in Lázaro Cárdenas, told NPR she was scrambling to protect her business: "We're worried and trying to protect our businesses. And of course, we're sad because it's our heritage, our legacy that from one moment to another could be destroyed."
The Mexican government has called evacuations and deployed thousands of military and Red Cross personnel. In Hawaii, the hurricane center's message was blunt: "The time to prepare for significant heavy rain and flooding impacts on the Big Island is now."
The question neither outlet answered: after Lala, after whatever Nolo brings, who rebuilds — and who gets left behind? When the water recedes, it's always working people who find out what government help is actually worth.
