Washington Task Force 1 members deployed to Hawaii ahead of Hurricane Olivia



HAWAII -- Members of the Washington Task Force 1 are in Hawaii and gearing up to help if Hurricane Olivia wreaks havoc on the islands.

Thirty five members of the 210-person multi-agency team left from Tacoma Saturday morning, including Murphy the dog and another canine team.

Now a Category 1 storm, Olivia was about 825 miles east northeast of Hilo, Hawaii as of 11 p.m. local time Saturday (5 a.m. Sunday ET), the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.

The storm may be near the Hawaiian Islands late Tuesday, the center said, warning that tropical storm or hurricane watches could need to be issued Sunday.

It's expected to be a tropical storm by the time it makes landfall.

This is the second tropical storm to hit the islands this year.

Hurricane Lane hit the big island last month, dropping more than 50 inches of rain and causing massive flooding.

The Washington Task Force 1 is comprised of more than 210 members from 21 emergency response agencies serving three primary areas: Seattle Fire, King County and Pierce County.