Long before 9/11 took on its ominous significance for the nation, it was an infamous date etched in Kaua‘i’s collective consciousness. For nine years, the island paused on that day to remember a disaster of huge proportions while the rest
Long before 9/11 took on its ominous significance for the nation, it was an infamous date etched in Kaua‘i’s collective consciousness.
For nine years, the island paused on that day to remember a disaster of huge proportions while the rest of the country didn’t skip a beat.
And though Hurricane ‘Iniki, which touched down on Sept. 11, 1992, may be the island’s greatest disaster, it will forever share an anniversary with the nation’s greatest tragedy.
While both took lives, each left its mark in a different way.
The terrorist attack six years ago today resulted in almost 3,000 deaths, an unprecedented number in American history.
The natural disaster that hit Kaua‘i nine years prior, however, which left only six dead in its wake, destroyed the life of an island. Business, tourism, school, work — it all came to a screeching halt.
So how have these two events changed Kaua‘i?
According to Beth Tokioka, director of the county’s Office of Economic Development, the island is more resilient than ever.
“It’s a gut feeling that we know we will come through (an emergency),” she said. “ … It’s not the kind of experience you want to have under your belt, but I think we are just so much stronger because of it.”
If ‘Iniki provided a critical and yet-to-be-rivaled lesson in rebuilding, then 9/11 tested the island’s leadership network.
Tokioka, the county’s public information officer during the 2001 attacks, recalled the scramble to get visitors back to their homes following the temporary closure of Lihu‘e Airport.
By partnering and communicating with various agencies, the mass exodus of tourists were able to leave in an orderly manner, she said, thus preventing chaos from impacting residents and businesses.
“The business community came together and created this network and working relationship,” she said.
In turn, that fortified network proved critical in dealing with the Ka Loko Reservoir Dam breach years later, she said.
“It’s scary, but you do have a level of confidence,” she said of facing another disaster.
In terms of preparedness, Kaua‘i’s Red Cross director, Alfred Darling, says the attacks on the Twin Towers delivered a longer-lasting impact than ‘Iniki.
Hurricane threats usually generate small frenzies of preparedness, but the constant and unpredictable threat of terrorism has changed the way we live, he said, most noticeably in regards to travel.
“9/11 has changed us more than ‘Iniki because we have to be more self-reliant,” Darling said.
He estimated that the county’s food supplies would last about a week — depending on seasonal factors — should an event isolate Kaua‘i from the other islands or the Mainland. This time frame is notably less than the four or five weeks worth of supplies that used to be standard on-island, he said.
For example, in preparation for Hurricane Flossie’s anticipated arrival, consumers emptied the shelves of water, canned goods, duct tape, tarps, batteries and other emergency items at Wal-Mart and Costco.
With no significant interruption to Young Bros.’ barge service, the shelves were restocked in a timely fashion. But the point was clear, Darling said: There is less inventory stored on the island than is necessary to sustain it during longer-term emergencies.
Now 15 years removed from ‘Iniki, Darling says he encounters a range of reactions from residents in terms of preparing for another hurricane.
Some people feel that they can survive anything after living through it; others want to get ready but don’t see the urgency in doing it now; and still a large portion of the population is too new to the island to have any recollection of the storm or its aftermath.
In response, Darling said the Red Cross is constantly encouraging residents to prepare their own families. On Sept. 22, the Red Cross will host a family disaster preparedness event at Kukui Grove Shopping Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Darling said that during recent trainings around the islands with businesses and community leaders, he was occasionally asked: “How bad can it be?”
But those who experienced the island at its worst, everything gutted and gone, don’t have to be reminded.
“The hardship doesn’t really hit home until it’s happened to the individual,” he said.
9/11 remembrances
• Gov. Linda Lingle declared Sept. 11 Patriot Day in Hawai‘i. State and U.S. flags will be lowered to half-mast at state and county buildings from sunrise to sunset.
• Lingle has called on residents to observe a moment of silence to honor those whose lives were lost as a result of the attack.
• O‘ahu will play host to two walks in honor of 9/11 victims. The first, organized by Operation Homefront, begins at 9 a.m. Also, the second annual Mayor’s Remembrance Walk starts at 6:30 p.m. Both will take place in downtown Honolulu.
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
