Oklahoma storm chaser sees damage in Hawaii

HONOLULU (AP) – An Oklahoma man who describes himself as a storm chaser is in Hawaii where Tropical Storm Iselle struck and Hurricane Julio lingers hundreds of miles off the coast.

Jeff Piotrowski says he’s seen crushed houses and power lines down on highways. Piotrowski says it appears that tens of thousands of trees are down and that there are long lines for gasoline.

Iselle brought heavy rain and violent wind early Friday when it made landfall. Residents with chain saws spent Saturday hacking at trees blocking roads or helping neighbors patch up damaged roofs.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service downgraded Hurricane Julio to a Category 1, the lowest level. Weather service forecaster Sam Houston in Honolulu says Julio’s winds have weakened to about 90 miles per hour.

The weather service said Julio was expected to linger near the state through Sunday night.