Seventeen workers were evacuated yesterday from tiny Tern and Laysan islands as powerful Hurricane Neki took aim at the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

The evacuation was necessary as the Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph continued to move north toward the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, also known as the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center in Honolulu yesterday issued a hurricane warning for the monument, from Nihoa to French Frigate Shoals and Maro Reef.

The center said hurricane conditions could hit the area today. A tropical storm watch was in effect yesterday for areas in the monument from Maro Reef to Lisianski Island.

The monument is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Hawaii. Both federal agencies had personnel on Tern and Laysan islands and moved quickly yesterday to get their people out of harm's way.

On Tern, which is in the French Frigate Shoals, five Fish and Wildlife Service workers and five contractors were flown to Honolulu yesterday by a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft. Barbara Maxfield, Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman, said a charter aircraft that is used by the agency was down for maintenance and wouldn't have been available until today.

"By that time we were afraid the weather would have deteriorated so much that they could not fly out there, so the Coast Guard was approached and they very graciously agreed to fly a C-130 out there," Maxfield said.

There is no airstrip on Laysan, but the NOAA vessel Oscar Elton Sette was in the area collecting marine debris and it was redirected to the island to evacuate seven people.

Once Neki passes the monument, the federal agencies will determine when people can return to the islands.

"The Coast Guard may do flyover and assess the level of damage," Maxfield said. "If it's not too bad and we can put people back out there, that's great. But if it's going to take a lot of work, then it'll be a planning process for a while."

At 11 p.m. yesterday, the center of Neki was about 550 miles west-southwest of Oahu and moving north at 12 mph. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin across portions of the warning area this afternoon with hurricane conditions forecast for tonight.

Forecasters said from 8 to 12 inches of rain can be expected along the path of Neki. Large south swells of 20 to 25 feet could begin to hit the islands this afternoon, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said.