Hawaii recovers from Flossie

Wednesday, July 31, 2013, 7:50 AM -

Hawaii is picking up the pieces after tropical depression Flossie hit the islands Monday. 

Fierce winds and rain toppled trees and utility poles in Nahiku with widespread power outages reported in Hana and other communities. 

Authorities are asking families to conserve as much water as possible until further notice. 

Families in east Maui spotted several signs of the storm as the surf began to build. Paddlers rushed to move their canoes away from the shoreline. 

The threat of severe weather prompted authorities to close Haleakala National Park. 

More than 30 hikers and campers in the area were evacuated. Others heading to the summit or camping in the crater were also forced to leave.

"We walked down to the water and it was crazy," one resident said. "The waves were really high and way up on the rocks. We had the kids stay back and it was pretty crazy by the surf." 

Flossie was downgraded to a post-tropical storm on Tuesday, while Tropical Storm Gil formed off the coast of California.

There are currently no coastal watches or warnings in place, but Gil continues to steadily strengthen with the potential to become a hurricane on Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre says.