On August 3, the United States Weather Bureau issued a hurricane watch for coastal areas of the Big Island in Kau and Puna districts. As Dot swept by the Hawaiian islands, various gale warnings and small craft warnings shifted westward to reflect the hurricane's predicted path. Due to the storm's sudden northward shift in movement, hurricane warnings were issued for portions of Oahu and the Kauai channel before being issued for only the island of Kauai. All watches and warnings were discontinued on August 7 after Dot weakened below hurricane intensity. Disaster workers in Oahu and Kauai were warned by civil defense agencies and the American Red Cross to prepare for emergency. Roughly 400 people fled from the beaches of Kauai due to the threat of storm surge, with an additional 500 people being evacuated by authorities as the storm neared the island. After the storm caused flooding in Kauai, nearly 1,000 people evacuated out of submerged areas into schools, armories, and public facilities repurposed as emergency shelters.