HILO, Hawai'i — Hurricane Flossie threatened to be a big headache for the Big Island.

Instead, officials here are grateful to have been spared. And they're calling the storm an invaluable test of how emergency responders and the county respond to the threat of a disaster.

"It was a great exercise involving the public," said Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, at a briefing with emergency responders and county agencies yesterday morning. "We could not have asked for a better scenario. Thank you, Mother Nature, for our safety."

Flossie, now a tropical storm that was about 280 miles south-southwest of Honolulu at 5 p.m. yesterday, is expected to weaken into a tropical depression as early as this afternoon. Peripheral moisture from the storm brought some heavy showers to O'ahu yesterday, with Lyon Arboretum seeing more than 3 inches from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m., said National Weather Service forecaster Tom Birchard.

Winds also increased Tuesday night, with some spots getting gusts up to 40 mph, Birchard said.

Effects on some islands were minimal. Even Kaua'i's Mount Wai'ale'ale — one of the wettest spots on Earth — got only 1.26 inches of rain in the same 24-hour period, according to weather service rain gauges.

Peripheral moisture around the edges of Flossie was expected to bring more rain for the Windward sides of all islands last night, said National Weather Service forecaster Bob Ballard.

The biggest effects from Flossie were seen on the southern end of the Big Island late Tuesday, when wave faces rose to 20 feet and up and winds gusted up to 40 mph. Glenwood saw the most rain, with about an inch falling during the 24-hour period ending at 5 p.m. yesterday. There were also some intermittent heavy showers in Mountain View and Volcano.

Quickly, though, the then-Category 1 hurricane started breaking apart and weakening.

And by early yesterday, wave heights and winds in South Point were normal and rains were light.

About 290 people, many of whom were homeless, voluntarily spent Tuesday night at hurricane shelters on the Big Island. There were no mandatory evacuations and no reports of damage from the storm, civil defense officials said.

At 5 a.m. yesterday, the weather service canceled a tropical storm warning for the Big Island and the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency reopened roads, beaches and parks closed before the storm arrived. And by 8 a.m., the popular farmers market and neighboring shops in downtown Hilo were full of residents and tourists, many chatting about the hurricane that never came.

Most said they were grateful they had been prepared, and happy the storm passed quickly.

"I'm glad it happened," said Lily Kuroyama of Machado Acres. "This particular event gave everyone an opportunity to work with their neighbors."

Kuroyama, 59, and her 90-year-old mother-in-law were in Hilo yesterday to shop and meet friends. They said they were surprised to see things back to normal so quickly.

"I'm very grateful it didn't cause any damage," she said.

Troy Kindred, administrator for Hawai'i County Civil Defense, said state, county and federal agencies worked together well to prepare for the storm.

But he was concerned about the last-minute rush for supplies in Hilo, where several stores sold out of essentials such as flashlights and batteries. He also said people who went to Red Cross shelters did not bring supplies and bedding materials, as they were asked to do. Still, he said, the storm drove home for residents the need to be prepared.

"This is the perfect full-scale exercise," Kindred said.

Maj. Henry Tavares of the Hawai'i County Police Department agreed, saying the event "was extremely valuable" in allowing agencies to work together and monitor the storm. The agencies gathered daily at the Civil Defense Emergency Operations Center in Hilo while Flossie was a threat.

At the center, which was kept open around the clock, officials got information from police and others in the field on conditions and problems. They also got updated weather reports and answered questions from the public about the storm.

"The synergy in this room amongst agencies, to me, kind of reflects what we're trying to sell to visitors," said George Applegate, executive director of the Big Island Visitors Bureau, while sitting in the center yesterday. "What we did in this room is we lived aloha."

As the clouds cleared over Hilo yesterday, people flocked to shops and eateries.

Downtown, shopkeepers set to work taking tape off their windows, putting away sandbags and welcoming customers.

Kapila Saurenman was working the crowd at the farmers market as he chopped coconuts with a machete so customers could taste the meat and milk. He wasn't worried about the force of the hurricane, but he was worried it would hit his bottom line.

"I'm just happy it didn't come on market day," he said.

Carolyn Chase, co-owner of Chase & Hanes Fine Home and In-home Accents, said the storm had her worried for a little while.

"This is the closest call we've ever had," she said, as she pulled tape off her store window. "Now, I would say it's all back to normal."

Storm served up plenty of rain and wind — and lots of training for both responders and residents

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.