Oʻahu schools, city and state non-essential offices and courts will be closed on Friday as the island once again prepares for severe weather entering the weekend, officials announced early Thursday evening.

“With the ground saturated from back-to-back storms that began last month, we are taking this situation extremely seriously,” Gov. Josh Green said in a press release. “Closing schools and state offices will allow families to focus on staying safe, together. It also will support emergency operations and sheltering, should the need arise.”

Later Thursday, state parks and libraries also announced closures.

Disaster response employees are reporting to work, and emergency shelters were open at the time of the announcement at Wahiawā District Park, Mānoa Valley District Park, Wai‘anae District Park and Kāne‘ohe District Park. Two more evacuation shelters were scheduled to open later Thursday evening at Kahuku Elementary and Nānākuli High and Intermediate.

“We are asking everyone to take this situation seriously,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a separate press release. “Our first responders and emergency personnel are fully activated and ready, but we all have a role to play in keeping our communities safe.”

Oʻahu is currently under a flood and high wind watch, according to the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, with heavy rain expected to start Thursday night or Friday morning. Oʻahu could experience peak gusts of 35 to 45 mph.

The University of Hawaiʻi’s Oʻahu campuses will also close on Friday. At the Capitol, though, lawmakers in both the Senate and the House plan to carry on with their business. The Legislature faces a statutorily mandated timeline for the current session.

On other islands, the education department plans on closing Hanalei Elementary School on Kauaʻi on Friday because of flooding from the Hanalei River. The department has canceled classes because of severe weather at least four times in the past two months, with some islands and schools facing more frequent closures than others.

The state suffered an estimated $1 billion in damage from the Kona low storms last month, and many communities are still recovering. The governor announced Wednesday that the federal government was approving Hawaiʻi’s major disaster declaration request — an important step toward receiving federal relief funds.