SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diegans fled Hurricane Lane's path taking flights Thursday evening from the Hawaiian islands to California.
The first time a hurricane will make landfall on the islands since 1992, inspiring fear in vacationers and those who are hunkering down.
RELATED: San Diego rescue teams head to Hawaii for Hurricane Lane
"Some of the rain would be so loud you couldn’t even talk, you’d be yelling at one another," Steven Bohn said. He moved from San Diego to the big island two years ago for his fiance, who is attending pharmacy school.
He said the bands of weather leading up to the brunt of the storm started hitting faster, leaving shorter windows of respite.
"It looks like it might be coming back pretty soon I don’t think I want to stand out here too long," Bohn said. "The floodwaters have completely destroyed the Bayfront. The downtown road area, there’s no access there whatsoever the cops have blocked that off."
He's an occupational therapist and told 10News he was making calls earlier in the day, checking on his clients and ensuring they didn't need medications or help evacuating.
He said emergency crews patrolled the area about every 45 minutes, keeping everyone safe. Other signs of disaster preparation were visible in stores, full of bare shelves.
Bohn said they're prepared.
"We’ll be staying indoors," he said. "Closing all the windows and pulling all the shades down in case of the glass."
Bohn believes Hawaiians will endure, and said "I’m just hoping that Oahu, Maui, Kawai even the small island of Lanai, they all are going to be okay, and hunker down and get ready for a rough one."
In San Diego, passengers sighed a breath of relief as they waited at baggage claim.
"We have kindergarten starting for my little daughter here on Monday, she’s very excited, and it’s important we made it back," Essam Khouri said.
His in-laws are still on Maui. He said their flight was canceled and they're sheltering in place until they can fly back on Saturday.
Carolyn Krebs said they made the decision Tuesday, after seeing the latest hurricane path projection, to cut their vacation short.
"We called Alaska airlines and changed our flight and paid a lot of extra money but at the end of the day it was a good call we’re home safe," Krebs said.
Everyone was thankful to be home safe.
