HONOLULU — Thirty years ago today — on Sept. 11, 1992 — Hurricane ‘Iniki made landfall on Kaua‘i as a Category 4 hurricane.
To commemorate the event, the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency has released a short documentary video sharing the “Lessons of ‘Iniki,” shared by some of the people who responded to and were affected by the disaster.
‘Iniki caused more than $3 billion in damages — an amount that would be more than $6 billion today with inflation. Parts of the state had no electric power for weeks, and tens of thousands of people were driven from their homes by the damage. Rebuilding took years.
‘Iniki reshaped many of the ways we think about hurricanes in Hawai‘i: from how to warn the public and how to build structures, to how to clear the roadways and protect against future damage. In some ways, it laid the groundwork for building more-resilient communities here in Hawai‘i.
JoAnn Yukimura, who was mayor of Kaua‘i County at that time, described the hurricane as a “collective near-death experience for the people of Kaua‘i,” in a Thursday statement.
“Two things saved us,” she said. “The aid and aloha that streamed into the island, and the resourcefulness, aloha and indomitable spirit of the people of Kaua‘i,” she said.
”Hurricane ‘Iniki made us realize what was truly important. It made us appreciate the facilities, services and amenities we had taken for granted — running water and hot showers, for example. When it seemed we had lost everything, we realized we had a lot — our lives, our loved ones, our neighbors and friends, and the will to rebuild better and stronger. We showed ourselves and the world that we could survive — and then thrive.”
The HI-EMA film intends to take the lessons learned from ‘Iniki and avoid complacency about the hazards the islands face.
The survivors interviewed talked story about those difficult times, and moments of humor and joy as well.
Among the themes that emerged are the importance of timely and accurate information for public safety, the need to make a plan and stock emergency supplies, and the way the aloha spirit of Hawai‘i strengthens communities and connects neighbors who take care of each other when emergencies strike.
The video, released during National Preparedness Month, is posted on HI-EMA’s website: tgilinks.com/3xcby9T.
I remember sitting in my bathroom with 5 of my friends listening to a radio station from Oahu. They stared cheering as Iniki passed south of them. Then they said Iniki was moving due north 50 miles south of Poipu!