Hurricane Lane now expected to turn north and threaten Hawaii

Hurricane Lane Strengthens Into a Category 4 Storm

Hurricane Lane, having strengthened into a Category 4 storm, is expected to turn north on Wednesday and directly threaten Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 155 mph (250 km/h) with higher gusts. Slight weakening is expected during the next couple of days, but Lane is forecast to remain a dangerous hurricane as it draws closer to the Hawaiian Islands.

As of 8:00 AM HST (1800 UTC), Lane was located near latitude 14.1 North, longitude 152.6 West moving toward the west near 9 mph (14 km/h). Forecasters at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center say that "Lane is forecast to move dangerously close to the main Hawaiian Islands on Thursday and Thursday night, potentially bringing damaging winds and life-threatening flash flooding from heavy rainfall." Hurricane Watches has been issued for Hawaii and Maui counties, and additional Tropical Storm or Hurricane Watches may be required later today or tonight.

Recommendations for Contact Centers

ContactRelief recommends suspension of contact with consumers in the Hurricane Watch area as residents begin their disaster preperations. Contact Centers can improve their operational efficiency by recognizing that consumers in the affected areas are unlikely to be receptive to unsolicited communications during this critical preparation time. If you followed our prior recommendation to amplify contact on Friday, August 17th and then to resume normal operations on Monday, August 20th, you would have minimized any impact from Hurricane Lane to your bottom line while still protecting consumers and your relationship with them.

The ContactRelief Disaster Decision Team will continue to monitor the storm's development and issue additional advisories as warranted. To obtain, the full list of affected ZIP Codes, become a ContactRelief subscriber.

Don't Delay

The next disaster is on its way. Become a ContactRelief subscriber and keep your company protected from disaster. Our full recommendations consist of the areas to be suspended and the list of zip codes covering these areas. For as little as $400 per, month your company can quickly implement a solution that protects your company and its customers. As we say at ContactRelief, "It's just smart business."

Contact sales@contactrelief.com for more information.