Hawaii-bound passengers continued to hustle through LAX Friday, even after Tropical Storm Iselle started to pound the Big Island early in the morning with 60 mph winds, up to half a foot of rain and flash flood warnings.
Despite some worry about the weather and some flight delays, travelers said they were eager to get to the tropical islands.
One large family traveled as a group to drop off their aunt, who was headed home.
“She’ll be fine, but all we can do is pray,” said Sala Fanua. “Up until last night we were concerned and wanted her to change her flight for next week.”
Fanua said she was also concerned about family members already in Hawaii.
“We do have family there. All we can do is pray and hope for the best,” she said.
By early Friday afternoon, LAX reported just nine cancellations and 15 delays out of 90 possibly affected flights.
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For those headed to the islands for long-planned vacations, the storms still couldn’t damper the excitement.
“My daughter is getting married,” Ray Lopez said. “Real excited… Worried about the weather, though.”
He said he was worried about the state of the islands when they arrive.
“Flooded streets and empty store shelves, that’s what I’m worried about,” Lopez said.
People said they were keeping a close eye on flight boards, weather forecasts and news reports. Tropical Storm Iselle has blown off roofs of homes, knocked out power to others and schools and government agencies have shut down.
California Gov. Jerry Brown’s office said Friday he was sending members of the California National Guard and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services agency to Hawaii to assist.
Hurricane Julio has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm, and is expected to make landfall Sunday morning.
