Honolulu officials say they are consolidating and transitioning emergency shelters at seven Oahu schools to three city parks so that the schools can reopen to students.
Starting at 6 p.m., they will be opening Tropical Storm Lala shelters at Booth District Park in Pauoa, Ewa Mahiko District Park, and Kaneohe District Park.
The seven shelters to be closed are at Blanche Pope Elementary, Castle High, Kahuku Elementary, Kapolei High, Moanalua High, Nanakuli Elementary, and Roosevelt High. The Mililani High shelter closed at 3 p.m. today.
City officials said at the peak of operations, as many as 247 people were at the “hurricane refuge areas” this weekend and several dozen are expected to transition to the city park locations, which are pet-friendly. Individuals should bring food, water, medications, and other essential items whenever possible, along with necessary supplies for their pets, they said.
“We are grateful to our state counterparts for providing these hurricane-resistant school facilities to our communities in their time of need,” Mayor Rick Blangiardi, said in a news release.