A rainy, humid summer season is bringing back memories of the seasons prior to the coming of Hurricane ‘Iwa in 1982. While it is unlikely that Kaua‘i will suffer through the arrival of a devastating hurricane in this year, it
A rainy, humid summer season is bringing back memories of the seasons prior to the coming of Hurricane ‘Iwa in 1982. While it is unlikely that Kaua‘i will suffer through the arrival of a devastating hurricane in this year, it is important that Kaua‘i residents stay on top of being prepared just in case.
Some items on the check list are pre-hurricane actions you can easily take: Being ready to board up and tape windows, know where to tune into hurricane emergency information on your radio and TV set; to have a plan for quickly putting away loose items around the house and yard, being up to date on where evacuation routes and evacuation shelters are located near your home and workplace.
On the post-hurricane survival list of items to have on hand include: Having enough non-perishable food and water to keep your household going during the critical first week or so of recovery; gathering lanterns, flashlights with fresh batteries; starting up a generator if you have one each year during the hurricane season so it’s ready to go.
As the recent hurricane that hit Florida’s Gulf Coast shows, these massive storms are unpredictable, beyond calling roughly what months of the year the storms are most likely to arrive. With ‘Iniki hitting in September, in the middle of hurricane season, and ‘Iwa hitting in November, late in the Hawai‘i hurricane season, and the beginning of the season starting in June, this is a big stretch of time during the year.
In recent weeks Pacific storms with the potential to become hurricanes have been tracked. One, tropical storm Georgette, is heading west from the coast of Mexico, and fortunately is being predicted to die out once it hits colder water as it trails a bit north.
How prepared the Island and its residents are could mean the difference between life and death during the storm and would help greatly in limiting destruction and easing the transition back to normal life following the storm.
Also to keep in mind is the acceleration of federal aid to disaster areas across the country, with many more disaster scenes now receiving help.
This means help from FEMA and other federal agencies would likely be more limited than the help we received following Hurricane ‘Iniki.
