Are we ready for our next hurricane?

[1stwahine]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

Wow Tita Miulang! Mahalo for the plug. tiger, I hope you visit. Like Tita Miulang said...I don't fabricate. I tell it like I see it. My words are to the point, unlike on the boards. We have rules and regulations which I abide to...ok, sometimes I go off.

What was this thread about? Oh, are we ready for our next hurricane? I think I covered this already. I've already started with can goods and water, medications. Water needs to be replaced every so often as does can goods. We would know before hand when one would occur so Ice would be a major purchase to keep whatever meat you have in freezer or ice chest longer.

I think I'm getting manic. I better go take a chill pill.

Auntie Lynn

[1stwahine]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

Don't need to read her blog - I was just in Chinatown last weekend (and plan to go back on Wednesday to see DJ Kool Herc at Next Door), and know what it's like.

I touched on this in another thread about the hurricane. I know the violent crimes are being committed by chronics. But I also think it would be harder to loot guns and ammunition in Honolulu, and I'm pretty sure there would be a stronger HPD presence here than there was by the cops in NO.

Aloha Palolo Joe, It's after Midnight. I no moa nothing to do. I just going over some threads. I see this one. I like in shock brah. I know you not one regular reader but come'on you, yourself told me you visit my blog. So no ack. As for Chinatown...das my Beat. Ok?

Auntie Lynn

P.S. So how was Next Door?

[Palolo Joe]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

So how was Next Door?

If it's your beat, you should know...

Actually, it was just average. Nothing special. I'm not trying for invade your kuleana auntie. No worry.

All I meant was that I was going Chinatown before I even knew you had a blog. So I no ack - I get small kine experience too.

[1stwahine]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

If it's your beat, you should know...

Actually, it was just average. Nothing special. I'm not trying for invade your kuleana auntie. No worry.

All I meant was that I was going Chinatown before I even knew you had a blog. So I no ack - I get small kine experience too.

Mahalo for the clarification, Palolo Joe!

Auntie Lynn

[Miulang]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

In light of the tragedy on the Gulf Coast, Hawai'i Civil Defense officials say they are prepared for everything...EXCEPT adequate shelter space for all residents.

"...The state's goal is to be able to provide shelter for 462,000 of Hawai'i's 1.25 million people — not including visitors — and it remains 124,000 short of that figure, said state Civil Defense chief Ed Teixeira. He said his agency is awaiting the release of $2 million over two years to retrofit buildings for shelter use, and that should cut the shortfall by roughly 20,000...."

If the entire island chain is overcome by a hurricane or tsunami, that means only about 1 out of every 3 people will be able to be housed in a shelter. Those who live near a public school will be the luckiest, because most of the schools have been retrofitted to withstand high wind.

"...The answer for residents statewide is to be as prepared as possible at home by having enough supplies available to survive without assistance for at least several days and to be prepared to provide your own safe shelter.

"I'd have every person develop a family disaster plan. I would encourage safe rooms, looking at our lack of shelter space all over the nation," said Clifford Ikeda, Civil Defense plans and operations officer on Kaua'i....

"...A safe room is a small structure within your home or on your property designed to keep you safe even if your house blows away. It should be built to withstand 250 mph winds and the impact of a 15-pound, 2-by-4 plank fired at 100 mph. Plans are available free of charge from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In hurricane-savvy Kaua'i County, a property tax break in the form of a $40,000 reduction in assessed value is available for homeowners with a safe room.

"Survival is each person's responsibility. I'm building one before I retire," Ikeda said...."

Miulang

[1stwahine]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

Miulang, are there any inormation about lowrise aprtments such as MWH being able ti sustain a hurricane condiitions? We have three scools located near us but I think our buildings looked more stable than their cafeterias. Oh, by the way, good morning.

Lynn

[Miulang]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

Miulang, are there any inormation about lowrise aprtments such as MWH being able ti sustain a hurricane condiitions? We have three scools located near us but I think our buildings looked more stable than their cafeterias. Oh, by the way, good morning.

Lynn

Good morning, Auntie. I don't know about MWH. It would depend on the materials that were used to construct it. If it's made of cement blocks it's probably safer than a wooden house. If it was me, I would contact the Oahu Civil Defense Dept. and ask that question. Maybe have a representative come visit one of your community meetings for a question and answer session. Many of the residents (especially the ones who came from Micronesia) probably have lived through a tsunami or typhoon so they already know what it feels like. They probably just need to know what to do now that they live in Hawai'i.


Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

All those quotes came from an Advertiser story, by the way.

Auntie Lynn, here's the link for Oahu Civil Defense. Maybe there's an e-mail address you can write to in order to ask about MWH. Would also think someone in management over there is aware of the necessary evacuation prodcedures in place for residents.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

Hawaii is not prepared for a full on Catagory 3 hurricane.

Most of our older homes are single-walled TnG redwood with no hurricane clips to keep the roofs on. In a typical 25-30 MPH tradewind day, the houses creak from the breeze. And thanks to the Outdoor circle, we'll have plenty of trees to saw thru once they're uprooted and thrown all over the place.

But thanks to the Outdoor Circle, some of our powerlines will be buried so the powerlines will only be shorted out instead of hanging from snapped poles.

Our water system will be destroyed as all it takes is a power outage to overflow our sewage system and we haven't allowed our residents to build catchment systems for water.

As for evacuation...where? Our convention center is made of glass, the NBC can only hold 7,000 people and both are at sea level.

Honolulu was so damned lucky when Iniki did a fateful left turn and made that bee line to Kauai. If you all remember it was headed straight for the shores of Waikiki, then faded a bit to the north then like an enraged bull, shifted and headed directly to Kauai and devastated it. Had it hit Oahu the damage would have been immeasurable especially with the newly built glass facade convention center. Our tourist industry would have been wiped out with the major hotels right in the gun sights of Iniki. Those living in the valley's (Koolau's) would have been hit with the direct wind damage from Iniki coming right up from the ocean, then from the massive flooding from the heavy rains funneled down from the mountain tops into the valley's center where everybody lives.

Those living on Kaimuki hill shadowed by Diamond Head would probably be the least affected.

The urban core of Honolulu would be devastated where the State's economic engine sits.

No we're not ready. Even after an event like Iniki hitting Waikiki is over, can you imagine the beaches fronting the hotels with their blown out glass windows? Tiny glass shards mixed in with the white sands of Waikiki. It would take a very long time before the beaches would be safe to walk on barefoot much less sunbathe on or have sex naked on at night

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

Tiny glass shards mixed in with the white sands of Waikiki. It would take a very long time before the beaches would be safe to walk on barefoot much less sunbathe on or have sex naked on at night

Yeah, you'd have to go to Mokulē'ia for that.

[Miulang]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

I hope the new building codes on all the islands are taking into account weathering a class 3 hurricane like Iniki. Kauai has an advantage because all the new construction probably does require that kind of retrofitting and many of the houses are new construction. I'm still seeing a disaster of major proportions if a hurricane like Iniki did hit Honolulu and all those tourists are trapped in the high rises. Since there isn't going to be enough shelter space for the residents, nevermind the tourists, it's almost imperative that each resident have the emergency supplies and a weather-proof room somewhere in their home to retreat to in the event of a major hurricane. Historically speaking, Maui hasn't been subjected to as many hurricanes as the rest of the islands. Don't know why, though. Maui has had its share of destructive tsunamis.

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

I do know that these days when you get a building permit in Honolulu for new construction, or even renovations, it has to pass some kind of hurricane-related review. I don't know how strong of a hurricane it's supposed to withstand, but there are new building codes in effect. Of course, that doesn't help with all the existing construction out there, that's not required to be reinforced.

[Miulang]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

If you're really interested in the revised building codes for the City and County of Honolulu, here they are. I reviewed them briefly and there's a lot stuff related to water and wave damage as in a tsunami, but I don't see any reference to hurricane (wind) damage. Maybe that's part of the general building codes.

Miulang

[helen]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

As for evacuation...where? Our convention center is made of glass, the NBC can only hold 7,000 people and both are at sea level.

The NBC is much futher inland than the convention center is and is away from the flood zone.

Had it hit Oahu the damage would have been immeasurable especially with the newly built glass facade convention center.

Sorry but the convention center wasn't even built during the time Iniki hit.

[Miulang]

Re: Are we ready for our next hurricane?

The Oahu Civil Defense Agency did put together a report after Iniki assessing the damage a hurricane might cause to Honolulu. Their estimate if a Category 3 hurricane hit Oahu: at least $5 billion in property damage.

A category 3 hurricane would have sustained winds of 111-131 mph with storm surges of approximately 9-12 feet. A chart in the report states that damage to buildings would be extensive: "extensive damage to houses and small buildings, weakly constructed and termite-weakened houses heavily damaged or destroyed; buildings made of light materials destroyed. Major damage to shrubbery and trees; up to 50% of palm fronds bent or blown off; numerous ripe and many green coconuts blown off coconut palms; crowns blown off coconut trees; up to 10% of coconut palms blown down; 30%-50% defoliation of many trees and shrubs. Large trees blown down. Many wooden power poles broken or blown down; many secondary power lines downed. Air is full of projectiles and debris; poorly constructed signs blown down. Serious coastal flooding; larger structures near coast damaged by battering waves and floating debris..."

In the assessment it appears that the major problem is going to be trying to get out of whatever shelter you might take post-hurricane because most of the foliage (including trees) would be uprooted and blown all over the place. So would wooden telephone and utility poles.

This is a truly fascinating report that pertains directly to people on Oahu. The report also says that the Hawaiian island chain is rarely hit directly by a hurricane but there can still be substantial damage from a tidal surge and moderate winds if the outer portion of the hurricane strikes a glancing blow at any of the islands.

Miulang