06-12-2007, 07:07 PM
Tonight, I went to one of the After Dark in the Park presentations. This one was by Jim Weyman of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. He talked about hurricanes in the Central Pacific, covering historical trends and the possible effects of global warming/climate change. He's going to be giving a similar presentation, focusing more on global warming/climate change at 'Imiloa at 4:00p tomorrow, Wed., 6/13. It's free.
http://www.imiloahawaii.org/events.php
He had lots to say, dispelling the myths that Kaua'i is more susceptible to hurricanes and the Big Island isn't. It's only been a coincidence that Kaua'i was more affected by 3-4 hurricanes since the 1950's and the Big Island wasn't. He said that people should have plans for how they will deal with the 5-7 days after a major hurricane event. He recommended having food, water, prescription medication, shelter accounted for in the event of a large hurricane event. It may be that long before any government services will be able to get to you.
He said that you can take measures to prepare your home to be more hurricane-ready than it is now. He noted that the State has set aside money to help people retrofit their homes.
http://www.hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/ins/con...ts_Program
A guy in the audience said that he looked into this and the program, in his assessment, was too fraught with permitting issues to be useful, but Jim Weyman disagreed. Anyhow, it is a program that is underused and may help defray some of the costs of retrofitting. However, Weyman did say that he wouldn't stay in a house that was single-wall construction during a significant hurricane; they are not structurally viable enough.
He said that if you want to monitor hurricane events, you can check their website
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/cphc/
He said to read the forecast discussions to get a clearer understanding of any event. By the way, we are in hurricane season right now, June 1 to Nov. 30. The forecast for 2007 is for 2-3 tropical cyclones (I don't recall if this was for the whole season or per month). Tropical cyclones is a generic term that includes all tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. Normally, 3-5 tropical cyclones are predicted for the same period, so the forecast is for a lower than normal occurrence.
He summed up by saying that it's inevitable that a major hurricane will hit the Island, the odds play out that way; they just aren't able to predict when or where.
I asked him about the sudden windstorm that hit upper Puna in 1991 (I think, I wasn't on the Island, I only heard about it). That was not a hurricane, it was the result of unsual winds from the south (Kona winds) that became amplified by the climb up through Ka'u and plowed down through Volcano Village, Glenwood and Mountain View. There were winds around 90-100 MPH, I'm told. Knocked a lot of trees down.
There was some discussion about how your homeowners insurance covers you (or doesn't) in case of high wind damage and, if, and when, the weather service calls it a hurricane. If your home suffers damage from high winds and the weather service calls it a hurricane, your regular policy won't cover you, you need to have a hurricane insurance rider. If the winds are high (even enough to be a hurricane) but the weather service doesn't call it a hurricane, your regular insurance should cover you. I'm not an underwriter, I'm only relating what I heard. So, you should check your policy and talk to your agent for the real low down. I believe that in Hawai'i if you're carrying a mortgage, your lender requires that you have hurricane insurance, too. Is that correct?
Anyhow, with all of the concern and talk about the risks of lava flows, especially in the lower Puna district, I think it may not be emphasized enough that hurricanes are a greater danger than lava. We may have been lulled into a sense of security because Kaua'i drew the short straw the last 3-4 times. The weather experts say that there's nothing in their assessments that say that this is a trend that we can count on.
Go hear the talk and find out how global warming/climate change might affect hurricane frequency and intensity in our Central Pacific region.
Edited by - Les C on 06/12/2007 23:14:05
http://www.imiloahawaii.org/events.php
He had lots to say, dispelling the myths that Kaua'i is more susceptible to hurricanes and the Big Island isn't. It's only been a coincidence that Kaua'i was more affected by 3-4 hurricanes since the 1950's and the Big Island wasn't. He said that people should have plans for how they will deal with the 5-7 days after a major hurricane event. He recommended having food, water, prescription medication, shelter accounted for in the event of a large hurricane event. It may be that long before any government services will be able to get to you.
He said that you can take measures to prepare your home to be more hurricane-ready than it is now. He noted that the State has set aside money to help people retrofit their homes.
http://www.hawaii.gov/dcca/areas/ins/con...ts_Program
A guy in the audience said that he looked into this and the program, in his assessment, was too fraught with permitting issues to be useful, but Jim Weyman disagreed. Anyhow, it is a program that is underused and may help defray some of the costs of retrofitting. However, Weyman did say that he wouldn't stay in a house that was single-wall construction during a significant hurricane; they are not structurally viable enough.
He said that if you want to monitor hurricane events, you can check their website
http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/cphc/
He said to read the forecast discussions to get a clearer understanding of any event. By the way, we are in hurricane season right now, June 1 to Nov. 30. The forecast for 2007 is for 2-3 tropical cyclones (I don't recall if this was for the whole season or per month). Tropical cyclones is a generic term that includes all tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. Normally, 3-5 tropical cyclones are predicted for the same period, so the forecast is for a lower than normal occurrence.
He summed up by saying that it's inevitable that a major hurricane will hit the Island, the odds play out that way; they just aren't able to predict when or where.
I asked him about the sudden windstorm that hit upper Puna in 1991 (I think, I wasn't on the Island, I only heard about it). That was not a hurricane, it was the result of unsual winds from the south (Kona winds) that became amplified by the climb up through Ka'u and plowed down through Volcano Village, Glenwood and Mountain View. There were winds around 90-100 MPH, I'm told. Knocked a lot of trees down.
There was some discussion about how your homeowners insurance covers you (or doesn't) in case of high wind damage and, if, and when, the weather service calls it a hurricane. If your home suffers damage from high winds and the weather service calls it a hurricane, your regular policy won't cover you, you need to have a hurricane insurance rider. If the winds are high (even enough to be a hurricane) but the weather service doesn't call it a hurricane, your regular insurance should cover you. I'm not an underwriter, I'm only relating what I heard. So, you should check your policy and talk to your agent for the real low down. I believe that in Hawai'i if you're carrying a mortgage, your lender requires that you have hurricane insurance, too. Is that correct?
Anyhow, with all of the concern and talk about the risks of lava flows, especially in the lower Puna district, I think it may not be emphasized enough that hurricanes are a greater danger than lava. We may have been lulled into a sense of security because Kaua'i drew the short straw the last 3-4 times. The weather experts say that there's nothing in their assessments that say that this is a trend that we can count on.
Go hear the talk and find out how global warming/climate change might affect hurricane frequency and intensity in our Central Pacific region.
Edited by - Les C on 06/12/2007 23:14:05