I've pretty much gone numb from the news on the drowning of New Orleans. The point that has driven home into my brain, though, is that it's not the hurricane itself that's the worst part. It's the aftermath, especially if you're not ready for it. (Insert rant on the ongoing clusterf--- in New Orleans.)
What's going to happen the next time Hawai‘i gets hit by a major hurricane? Hurricane Iniki in 1992 was a Category 4 hurricane, and it plowed into Kaua‘i head-on. Kaua‘i didn't recover for more than a year after it hit. Honolulu has never in living memory been hit head-on by a hurricane; the storms always have seemed to swerve to avoid O‘ahu and then hung a right to whack Kaua‘i instead, like a lazy bowling ball with a lot of english on it. Maybe it's some kind of meterological phenomenon having to do with the high mountains sticking up out of the sea, or maybe it's just random chance. I wouldn't count on it happening every time, though.
When -- not if -- Honolulu gets whacked, it will be a mess. Relief will be on the way by plane, but planes can carry only so much. If the power plants (all on coastlines near the storm surge, mind you) are damaged, we may be without power for weeks or months. If the Honolulu International Airport is damaged (again, on the coastline -- especially the Reef Runway) then air support will slow to a trickle as planes have to squeeze onto other, lesser airstrips. The same goes for Honolulu Harbor.
Is your household ready? Do you have an emergency kit packed? Do you have communication plans set up so that if your family is separated -- at school, work, wherever -- you'll be able to get back in touch? This year's hurricane season isn't over yet; Iniki was in September 1992 and Iwa before that was in November 1982. Now would be a good time to get ready.
What's going to happen the next time Hawai‘i gets hit by a major hurricane? Hurricane Iniki in 1992 was a Category 4 hurricane, and it plowed into Kaua‘i head-on. Kaua‘i didn't recover for more than a year after it hit. Honolulu has never in living memory been hit head-on by a hurricane; the storms always have seemed to swerve to avoid O‘ahu and then hung a right to whack Kaua‘i instead, like a lazy bowling ball with a lot of english on it. Maybe it's some kind of meterological phenomenon having to do with the high mountains sticking up out of the sea, or maybe it's just random chance. I wouldn't count on it happening every time, though.
When -- not if -- Honolulu gets whacked, it will be a mess. Relief will be on the way by plane, but planes can carry only so much. If the power plants (all on coastlines near the storm surge, mind you) are damaged, we may be without power for weeks or months. If the Honolulu International Airport is damaged (again, on the coastline -- especially the Reef Runway) then air support will slow to a trickle as planes have to squeeze onto other, lesser airstrips. The same goes for Honolulu Harbor.
Is your household ready? Do you have an emergency kit packed? Do you have communication plans set up so that if your family is separated -- at school, work, wherever -- you'll be able to get back in touch? This year's hurricane season isn't over yet; Iniki was in September 1992 and Iwa before that was in November 1982. Now would be a good time to get ready.
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