Quote:As Hurricane Lane barrels towards Hawaii as a Category 4 storm packing sustained winds of 155 mph, officials in the Aloha state are warning residents they don't have enough shelter space to meet the "estimated demands" of the population.

The National Weather Service's Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. ET advisory that Lane, which is likely to cause catastrophic damage with winds 155 mph or above, is located about 460 miles southeast of Honolulu and moving west-northwest at 9 mph. The storm strengthened to a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds before slightly weakening, but hurricane warnings are in effect for Hawaii's Big Island and the island of Maui.

"Slow weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, but Lane is forecast to remain a dangerous hurricane as it draws closer to the Hawaiian Islands," the CPHC said.

On Tuesday, emergency management officials across the state urged residents to prepare to evacuate if needed or shelter in place if its safe. Hawaii State Emergency Management Administrator Tom Travis said during a news conference that the priorities for state officials are to manage shelters because "we do not have enough shelters for everyone."

Quote:Earlier this year, a state report on hazards facing Hawaii warned there are only 277,376 available shelter spaces for the islands' estimated 1.4 million people.

"Hurricane evacuation shelters are a last resort option for residents and visitors who do not have a safer place to stay," the report noted. "There are insufficient hurricane evacuation shelters to meet the estimated demand of the population and these shelters have no supplies."