A sparse morning turnout at the Hurricane, Flood and Tsunami Information Fair at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center didn’t stop government agencies, businesses and groups from carrying out a task they said was important to everyone on Kaua’i. Kaua’i County
A sparse morning turnout at the Hurricane, Flood and Tsunami Information Fair at the Kukui Grove Shopping Center didn’t stop government agencies, businesses and groups from carrying out a task they said was important to everyone on Kaua’i.
Kaua’i County Civil Defense Agency officials talked about improved hurricane preparation plans. The American Red Cross representatives boasted emergency teams would step in immediately for the next emergency.
State Farm Insurance offered information on hurricane insurance and Roll-a-way – an O’ahu company – distributed leaflets on protective metal and plastic panels that representatives said were capable of withstanding withering hurricane winds and providing home security.
At 11 a.m., many strollers passed the tables where literature was put on display in favor of the nearby retail stores.
Interest might have been slack because many long-time residents already learned to deal with life-threatening disasters, having weathered Hurricane Iwa in 1982 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992, officials said. Collectively, the hurricanes inflicted several billion dollars worth of damage.
“People are generally well prepared now,” said Kaua’i County Civil Defense Director Mark Marshall. “This event is designed for those who might not be.”
The event was sponsored by Project Impact, a program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to build partnerships with residents to prepare for disasters.
Hurricanes might be foremost in the minds of residents because hurricane season runs from May to November. But tsunamis pose a bigger threat because they can occur without warning, Marshall said.
“If an earthquake occurs off the Big Island, which is seismically active, it would take 20 minutes to get Kaua’i and could wipe out the Na Pali Coast,” Marshall said.
Manning one of about 20 exhibits in the mall, Stewart Weinstein of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the National Weather Service said the most destructive tsunami in Hawaii’s history occurred in April 1946, killing 159 people.
Tsunamis will always remain a threat to Hawai’i because of the frequency of earthquakes and underwater landslides in the Pacific, Weinstein said.
Before a tsunami strikes, people should evacuate from the shoreline and find safe haven inland, Weinstein said.
“People may know more about hurricanes, but tsunamis happen more often,” Weinstein said.
Kaua’i County is ready for the next hurricane because preparation plans have been updated, Marshall said.
The plan lists pre-determined disposal sites for hurricane debris, proposes better ways to manage shelters and sets up safeguards for the island’s public water system, Marshall said.
Kaua’i also can better cope with the next disaster thanks to an improved communication system, which includes fiber-optic Internet service, satellite phones and mobile phones, Marshall said.
Shelters will be available in abundance for the next disaster, Marshall said. In addition to island neighborhood centers that will be used as shelters, there will be 19,300 public “shelter spaces,” including in nearby schools, Marshall said.
In the aftermath of the next hurricane, State Farm Insurance agent Eric Kaneda said his company has “inclusive” homeowner and hurricane coverage, providing convenience and financial benefits to their customers.
Residents with damaged homes after Hurricane Iniki complained because insurance companies didn’t have funds to cover claims for damages.
Other residents voiced their chagrin after insurance companies announced they would not offer hurricane coverage for a while because they had been deluged by claims and were financially strapped.
The Hawaiian Hurricane Relief Fund was set up by the state to write hurricane coverage until private insurance companies were able to do so, Kaneda said.
Other government agencies, organizations or groups with table exhibits included the Kaua’i Contractor Association, The Gas Company, Hawai’i Coastal Zone Management Program, Honsador Lumber Corp., the Kaua’i Fire Department and the Kaua’i Humane Society.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
