Emergency shelters will open Thursday while state offices across the Big Island will close as residents brace for a direct hit from Hurricane Iselle. 
 
 A Hawaii County official said the 11 shelters will open at noon. 
 
 Residents using the shelters should bring water, food and medication with them, he said. 
 
 Hawaii County offices, state offices and courthouses will close at noon Thursday and remain closed through Friday. Essential employees related to crucial operations will remain at work, the county said. 
 
 County and state parks are closed until further notice. 
 
 The state Department of Education closed all Big Island schools for Thursday and Friday, and University of Hawaii and Hawaii Community College campuses will also close through Friday. 
 
 Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira said the county contacted residents in low-lying areas to request they evacuate. 
 
 Mandatory evacuations were not planned. 
 
 Oliveira said residents across the isle should be prepared, and noted that strongest winds may occur toward the northeast side of the storm. 
 
 On Wednesday, a Hawaii County Fire Department helicopter made an emergency landing at Pololu Valley due to mechanical problems. 
 
 Battalion Chief Warren Sumida said it was making the flight as a “preventable measure” to urge people living or camping in high-risk areas to leave or see if they need to be evacuated. No one was injured, and a backup helicopter is available, he said. 
 
 Expecting the storm to have largely moved past the islands by Saturday, election officials were planning to go ahead with the primary. 
 
 “Every county, including the state, (is) at this time planning to hold a primary on Saturday,” said Rex Quidilla, state Office of Elections spokesman. 
 
 Pat Nakamoto, county elections administrator, said generators are on standby for polling places if power is not restored in time. 
 
 She said there are enough generators for each of the 41 polling places and the counting center. 
 
 “My understanding is, if all 41 need generators, we will be able to get them there,” Nakamoto said. 
 
 Walk-in voting sites will remain open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday is the last day for walk-in voting. 
 
 Nakamoto said her office was receiving more phone calls than normal regarding early voting. 
 
 As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, the county received 14,540 mail ballots and 4,209 ballots from early walk-in voting. 
 
 The Coast Guard instructed all pleasure craft to seek sheltered waters, and announced that all oceangoing commercial vessels and barges over 200 tons are expected to leave Hilo by 4 a.m. and Kawaihae by 7 a.m. 
 
 American Airlines cancelled flights between Kahului, Maui, and Los Angeles for Thursday. 
 
 Hawaiian Airlines expects to make a decision Thursday afternoon whether to cancel flights, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. 
 
 Hawaii Volcanoes National Park also closed its backcountry areas. 
 
 Hele-On buses were scheduled to operate as normal Thursday and Friday, though the mass transit agency was warning riders that cancellations or delays may occur with short notice. 
 
 The Democratic Party’s Grand Rally is also cancelled for Friday. 
 
 Senior nutrition and recreation programs are cancelled Thursday and Friday. 
 
 Assistant Police Chief Marshall Kanehailua said Wednesday there have been discussions at the Emergency Operations Center about notifying homeless people about the storm. 
 
 “We’ll be posting, of course, notifications about the shelter openings with officers on the beat,” he said. “When they do come across those individuals, we’ll be notifying them of the impending hurricane and what shelters are open.” 
 
 The Salvation Army released a written statement Wednesday that they’re “prepared to respond with community assistance as needed on the major Hawaiian Islands.” 
 
 “The public is encouraged to help in advance by supporting emergency disaster services efforts via monetary donations via our website …,” said Major Mark Gilden, Salvation Army’s Hawaiian & Pacific Island Division’s business secretary. “One-hundred percent of the donated funds will be used to support our emergency disaster services in Hawaii.” 
 
 Online donations may be made at www.salvationarmyhawaii.org. 
 
 Storm preparedness information can be found at http://www.scd.hawaii.gov. 
 
 Staff Writer John Burnett contributed to this story. 
 
 Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com. 
 
 Storm shelter locations 
 
 • Laupahoehoe School, 35-2065 Old Mamalahoa Highway, Laupahoehoe 
 
 • Kohala High & Elementary, 54-3611 Akoni Pule Highway, Kapaau 
 
 • Kealakehe High (pet friendly), 74-5000 Puohulihuli St., Kailua-Kona 
 
 • Konawaena High (pet friendly), 81-1043 Konawaena School Road, Kealakekua 
 
 • Hilo High (pet friendly), 556 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo 
 
 • Waiakea High (pet friendly), 155 W. Kawili St., Hilo 
 
 • Keaau High (pet friendly), 16-725 Keaau-Pahoa Road, Keaau 
 
 • Pahoa High & Intermediate (pet friendly), 15-3038 Pahoa Village Road, Pahoa 
 
 • Honokaa High & Intermediate (pet friendly), 45-527 Pakalana St., Honokaa 
 
 • Kau High (pet friendly), 96-3150 Pikake St., Pahala 
 
 • Waikoloa Elementary, 68-1730 Hooko St., Waikoloa Village 
 
 Source: Red Cross ||||| Tourists visiting Hawaii are anxious about what could be the first hurricane to hit the state in more than 20 years as weather officials say an approaching storm isn’t weakening as previously predicted. (AP) 
 
 Tourists visiting Hawaii are anxious about what could be the first hurricane to hit the state in more than 20 years as weather officials say an approaching storm isn’t weakening as previously predicted. (AP) 
 
 HONOLULU — The first hurricane expected to hit Hawaii in 22 years weakened slightly Thursday as its outer edges began to bring rain and wind to the Big Island, while residents and tourists prepared for a possible one-two punch as another major storm lined up behind it in the Pacific. 
 
 The eye of Hurricane Iselle was about 250 miles southeast of Hilo, moving at roughly 17 mph and expected to make landfall Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, Hurricane Julio strengthened early Thursday into a Category 2 storm but was forecast to pass just north of the islands sometime Sunday morning. 
 
 Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie said the state is prepared for the back-to-back storms, noting the National Guard is at the ready and state and local governments were closing offices, schools and transit services across Hawaii. Emergency shelters also are being opened across the state. 
 
 Meanwhile, state Attorney General David Louie promised that Saturday’s primary elections will go forward as planned. 
 
 1 of 26 Full Screen Autoplay Close Aug. 7, 2014 Skip Ad Caption Residents of the islands boarded up windows and stocked up on water as the storm passed through. Aug. 8, 2014 Road crew workers clear a main thoroughfare of downed trees left in the wake of Tropical Storm Iselle in Pahoa, Hawaii. Bruce Omori/EPA Buy Photo 
 
 Earlier Thursday, a 4.5-magnitude earthquake struck the Big Island but didn’t cause major damage. There were no reports of injuries as residents made last-minute trips to grocery stores and boarded up their homes. 
 
 Kelsey Walker said the quake felt like a “little jolt” but didn’t knock things off shelves at the Waimea grocery store where he works. He was trying to keep a sense of humor about it. 
 
 “We have a hurricane. Now we have this on top of it. What else?” Walker mused. 
 
 Travelers got their first word of disrupted plans Thursday, when commuter airline Island Air said it was canceling some afternoon flights between the islands and shutting down all operations Friday. 
 
 Hurricane Iselle was expected to bring heavy rains, winds gusting up to 85 mph and flooding in some areas, but officials said the Big Island’s mountainous region and size should help break apart and weaken the storm as it passed on to Maui and Oahu late Thursday and early Friday. 
 
 “Not a major hurricane, but definitely enough to blow things around,” said meteorologist Mike Cantin of the National Weather Service. 
 
 Hawaii has been directly hit by hurricanes only three times since 1950, though the region has had 147 tropical storms over that time. The last time Hawaii was hit with a hurricane was in 1992, when Iniki killed six people and destroyed more than 1,400 homes in Kauai, meteorologist Eric Lau said. 
 
 The twin hurricanes have disrupted tourism, prompted flash flood warnings and led to school closures. 
 
 Hawaiian Airlines waived reservation change fees and fare differences for passengers who needed to alter their plans Thursday and Friday, while some travelers remained optimistic. 
 
 Boston resident Jonathan Yorke and his wife booked a Hawaii vacation with their two daughters last year. He has been watching the news to see how the storms could affect their two-week trip to Maui and the Big Island. 
 
 “We’re all optimists, so we’ll make the best of it,” Yorke said. 
 
 Washington state couple Tracy Black and Chris Kreifels made plans to get married in an outdoor ceremony on the Big Island on Saturday. They spent this week getting a marriage license, adjusting plans and communicating with worried guests on the mainland. 
 
 “We see the rain as a blessing,” Black said. “It will work out as it’s supposed to.” 
 
 Some residents, meanwhile, are voting early in the primary elections that include congressional and gubernatorial races. 
 
 “It’s quiet, nobody’s around right now. It’s kind of eerie” said Hilo resident Kimo Makuakane. “Everybody’s heeding the warnings — staying at home and staying indoors.” 
 
 Education officials said public schools on the Big Island, Maui, Molokai and Lanai will be closed Thursday. 
 
 Officials at Mauna Kea Observatories, a collection of 13 telescopes operated by astronomers from 11 countries located around 14,000 feet atop a dormant volcano on the Big Island, said the site was being secured and that visitor stargazing will be canceled Thursday night. 
 
 “It’s starting to get gusty on the summit of Mauna Kea,” said the observatory’s Gwen Biggert. 
 
 But the telescopes are in no danger, said Roy Gal, astronomer and outreach specialist for the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy. 
 
 “Winds of 80 to 100 miles per hour are actually not uncommon on the summit,” Gal said. “We get tropical storms all the time which get comparable winds to a Category 1 hurricane.” 
 
 The storms are rare but not unexpected in years with a developing El Nino, a change in ocean temperature that affects weather around the world. 
 
 Ahead of this year’s hurricane season, weather officials warned that the wide swath of the Pacific Ocean that includes Hawaii could see four to seven tropical cyclones this year. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Doug Esser in Seattle, Oskar Garcia in Honolulu, Karin Stanton in Kailua-Kona, and Dan Joling in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report. 
 
 Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Hawaii braced for what could become the first hurricane to slam the state in nearly a quarter-century early Friday after islanders scrambled to stock up on supplies and take shelter. The outer edges of Hurricane Iselle, a Category 1 storm, brought rain and wind to the Big Island as it approached landfall. A second Category 3 storm, Julio, was close on Iselle's tail with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. It was projected to barrel just north of the islands early Sunday morning. 
 
 8:30pm HT: Current infrared satellite imagery of #Iselle with #Hawaii sustained wind speeds and wind gusts. pic.twitter.com/6cNGaF7NfZ -Hurricane Central (@twc_hurricane) August 8, 2014 
 
 At a news conference Thursday, state officials told islanders to hunker down. Governor Neil Abercrombie said that emergency crews and response teams were “fully prepared” for heavy rains, fierce winds and flash floods. He said the National Guard was at the ready and shelters were open across the state. Transportation officials pleaded with drivers to stay off roads. Power was lost Thursday night in two communities on the Big Island: Waimea, a town of about 9,200 people near the island's north shore, and Puna, a district scattered with residents south of Hilo, Hawaii County Civil Defense officials said. American Airlines and US Airways canceled flights in and out of the Big Island and Maui after 6 p.m. Thursday through noon Friday. Iselle is poised to become the first hurricane to thump Hawaii since Hurricane Iniki made landfall in 1992. The state has been directly hit by hurricanes only three times since 1950. 
 
 Play Facebook 
 
 Twitter 
 
 Google Plus 
 
 Embed 1992: Iniki Wreaks Havoc on Hawaii, Makes ‘Jurassic Park’ 1:12 autoplay autoplay Copy this code to your website or blog 
 
 IN-DEPTH 
 
 — Daniel Arkin 
 
 The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| HONOLULU (AP) — Iselle was supposed to weaken as it slowly trudged west across the Pacific. It didn't — and now Hawaii is poised to take its first direct hurricane hit in 22 years. 
 
 Shoppers lift cases of bottled water in preparation for a hurricane and tropical storm heading toward Hawaii at the Iwilei Costco in Honolulu on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. Two big storms so close together... (Associated Press) 
 
 People lounge on Waikiki's beaches in Honolulu on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014. Hawaii residents prepared for what could be the first hurricane to hit the state in more than 20 years as weather officials said... (Associated Press) 
 
 Shonna Snodgrass of Stafford, Va., left and Gwen Johnson of Sacramento, Calif. show the "shaka" or hang-loose sign while enjoying the sun on Waikiki beach in Honolulu on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014. Hawaii... (Associated Press) 
 
 This image provided by NOAA taken Wednesday Aug. 6, 2014 shows Hurricane Iselle, center, and tropical storm Julio, right. Though it's not clear how damaging the storms could be, many in Hawaii aren't... (Associated Press) 
 
 This image provided by NOAA taken Thursday Aug. 7, 2014 at 2 a.m. EDT shows Hurricane Iselle, left and Hurricane Julio. Iselle was supposed to weaken as it slowly trudged west across the Pacific. It didn't... (Associated Press) 
 
 Shoppers stock up on cases of bottled water and other supplies in preparation for a hurricane and tropical storm heading toward Hawaii at the Iwilei Costco in Honolulu on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. Two big... (Associated Press) 
 
 Tracking close behind it was Hurricane Julio, which strengthened early Thursday into a Category 2 storm. 
 
 State officials are assuring the islands are ready and people should prepare but not panic. Tourists wonder whether their flights and activities would be disrupted and tried to get in some last-minute beach time before the surf's up, but ugly. And residents are making bottled water tougher to find than a cheap fruity cocktail. 
 
 "Everybody says this is the last day of good weather, so we came down to the beach," said Shonna Snodgrass, a tourist in Waikiki visiting from Stafford, Virginia. 
 
 Hurricane Iselle was expected to arrive on the Big Island on Thursday evening, bringing heavy rains, winds gusting up to 85 mph and flooding in some areas. Weather officials changed their outlook on the system Wednesday after seeing it get a little stronger, giving it enough oomph to stay a hurricane as it reaches landfall. 
 
 "What ended up happening is the storm has resurged just enough to keep its hurricane strength," said Mike Cantin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. 
 
 Cantin said that means stronger winds of 60 to 70 mph, though rainfall estimates of 5 inches to 8 inches in a short time frame remained unchanged. 
 
 "Not a major hurricane, but definitely enough to blow things around," he said. 
 
 Iselle loomed about 350 miles east of Hilo early Thursday, with sustained winds of 85 mph and traveling about 18 mph. 
 
 Cantin said the Big Island's size and terrain would help break up the hurricane, weakening it into a tropical storm as it passes Maui and Oahu late Thursday and early Friday. 
 
 "The volcanoes on the Big Island will do a number on the system," he said. 
 
 Hurricane Julio, meanwhile, swirled closely behind with maximum winds whipping at 100 mph. The National Hurricane Center said it expected the storm to strengthen even more Thursday before gradually weakening by Thursday night. That weakening is expected to continue into the weekend. 
 
 Hawaii has been directly hit by hurricanes only three times since 1950, though the region has had 147 tropical cyclones over that time. The last time Hawaii was hit with a tropical storm or hurricane was in 1992, when Hurricane Iniki killed six people and destroyed more than 1,400 homes in Kauai, said meteorologist Eric Lau. 
 
 The two hurricanes have disrupted tourism, prompted flash flood warnings and led to school closures. Gov. Neil Abercrombie, meanwhile, signed an emergency proclamation allowing officials to tap into a disaster fund set aside by the state Legislature. 
 
 "The sole purpose is to see to it the health and safety of the people of Hawaii is first and foremost," Abercrombie said at a news conference surrounded by his cabinet members. 
 
 For travelers, Hawaiian Airlines waived reservation change fees and fare differences for passengers who needed to alter travel plans Thursday and Friday because of the storms. Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Ann Botticelli said hundreds of inquires poured in from customers seeking to change their flights. 
 
 Some travelers remained hopeful. 
 
 Boston resident Jonathan Yorke and his wife booked a Hawaii vacation with their two daughters last year. He has been watching the news to see how the storms could affect the two-week trip to Maui and the Big Island. 
 
 "We're all optimists, so we'll make the best of it," Yorke said. 
 
 Washington state couple Tracy Black and Chris Kreifels made plans to get married in an outdoor ceremony on the Big Island Saturday. They spent Wednesday getting a marriage license, adjusting plans and communicating with worried guests on the mainland. 
 
 "We see the rain as a blessing," Black said. "It will work out as it's supposed to." 
 
 In Waikiki, Gwen Johnson wondered if she would make her flight home Thursday. 
 
 "We're leaving tomorrow and I'm a little concerned if we'll be able to get out with the turbulence and stuff," she said. 
 
 It wasn't immediately clear what financial impact the storms would have on the state's tourism industry, a key economic driver. 
 
 Hawaii residents also have had to adjust. Stores have seen long lines this week as people brace themselves. 
 
 Some are voting early in primary elections that close Saturday. The elections include several marquee races, including congressional and gubernatorial races. Abercrombie —who is running for re-election in a tight Democratic primary — said the election is expected to move forward as planned as of Wednesday afternoon. 
 
 Also, education officials said public schools on the Big Island, Maui, Molokai and Lanai will be closed Thursday. 
 
 The storms are rare but not unexpected in years with a developing El Nino, a change in ocean temperature that affects weather around the world. 
 
 Ahead of this year's hurricane season, weather officials warned that the wide swath of the Pacific Ocean that includes Hawaii could see four to seven tropical cyclones this year. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press Writers Doug Esser in Seattle and Oskar Garcia in Honolulu contributed to this report.
– Tag-team hurricanes Iselle and Julio will thrash Hawaii in a one-two punch that starts tonight—the first time in 22 years the islands have been directly hit. Category 1 Iselle is expected to maintain 85 mph winds when it makes landfall on the Big Island tonight. It’s "not a major hurricane, but definitely enough to blow things around," a meteorologist tells the AP; up to 8 inches of rain is expected. Iselle should weaken as it passes through the island's volcanic terrain into tomorrow morning. Just behind Iselle, Julio is a bit fiercer Category 2, with winds estimated at 100 mph; it'll pick up speed before weakening tonight and hit Sunday as a tropical storm, reports NBC News. The last hurricane to hit Hawaii was Iniki in 1992, which killed six people. Vacations are being disrupted by the storms. Island Air has canceled flights to Maui and Lanai, the Washington Post reports. Hawaiian Airlines will decide today whether to follow suit, adds the Hawaii Tribune-Herald; on the ground, state parks are closed and beachgoers are enjoying the last shreds of nice weather. One Boston resident booked his two-week Maui and Big Island vacation last year and has been eagerly watching weather reports. "We're all optimists, so we'll make the best of it," he tells the AP. Weather officials had warned this season would be an active one in the region, with up to seven tropical storms—probably due in no small part to El Nino.