Dickie Chang, who worked at a resort in Kauai at the time, told CNN affiliate KHON last year that the memories of the storm and its brutal aftermath are still vivid for him. More than 5,000 utility poles were downed across the island, and the power company, called Kauai Electric back then, had even more challenges closer to home. We take storms seriously on Kauai, he said, adding that the islands resiliency was demonstrated following the 50-inch rain bomb event of 2018, which caused $180 million in damage, wrecked hundreds of homes and unleashed landslides that cut off the islands north shore communities for months. #7-500 The most notable storm was Hurricane Iniki. "Actually it was pretty good. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or Print subscriber but without online access? It made us appreciate the facilities, services and amenities we had taken for granted running water and hot showers, for example. Iniki was accompanied by storm tides ranging from 4.5 to 6.3 feet above normal, with 20 to 35 foot storm waves. He wrote out a three-page memo for the mayor to give the governor, asking for every type of aid Kauai was going to need. John D. Waihee III . Repair crews are swarming like bees on roofs all over the island. Annually, between four and five tropical [] A photo of a Kauai business building struck by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Annually, between four and five tropical [] like Iniki, to cause extensive damage to any island. The massive Category 4 storm damaged or destroyed 90% of the islands homes and buildings. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Were going to make it! Yukimura said. The next day Hurricane Iniki took a sharp turn north and barreled into Kauai, causing the deaths of seven people and over $1.8 billion in damage . On the day after Hurricane Iniki smashed into Kauai 30 years ago today, then-Mayor JoAnn Yukimura toured the ravaged island in a helicopter with Gov. Kawakami was asked by his father, Charles Kawakami, president and CEO of Big Save Markets, to drive him in his 4-by-4 vehicle to the Lihue store so he could assess the damage along with a Civil Defense official. Storm surge ripped parts of the coastal areas to pieces. "The night before, I was on the Valley House set thanking Steven Spielberg for filming here. Andrew passed directly through Homestead, Florida and completely disseminated several blocks of houses, stripping them down to their foundations. Kauai has heard that before, and a Kauai Planning Commission meeting last month drew dozens of unhappy residents to testify in opposition to the latest resort plans. The glass windows flexed as if they were breathing, and family members had to yell in order to communicate. The county is scrambling to try to find alternative housing for the workers. On Oahu, officials estimated that a third of the population evacuated. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. MEMORIES OF the costliest and most powerful storm on record to strike Hawaii will forever be seared in the minds of the two mayors, one who was leading at the time and the other who experienced the devastation through the eyes of a teenager. Yeah, there were sections of roof that had lost their tile, but the sections where we were occupying were in pretty good shape and housed us pretty well," said Nakaya. All Rights Reserved. Hawaiian landfalling hurricanes are historically pretty rare. Physical reconstruction of the 551-square-mile island (about a quarter the size of King County) is following more slowly. blow that came with Iniki. What do they think will be the outcome the next time theres another extreme weather event? the mayor said. Kauai remains the most verdant island in the Hawaiian chain. That was the spirit that told me were going to do it. "Ironically, I was stuck in the hotel that they were staying at, And the next morning I was looking at Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern on a balcony, and I said, 'I'm so sorry,'" Kanoho recounted. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says Iniki brought 140 mph winds, with gusts as high as 175 miles per hour, that ripped off roofs, uprooted trees, and knocked out all power and telephone service islandwide. webpack prettier-eslint Two doors down there was a house that looked like it was hit by a bomb, Kawakami recalled. All Photo from Hurricane Iniki. It was closed in 1992 when Hurricane Iniki swept across the island. Iniki was a small but intense hurricane (minimal category Four) which made landfall on Kauai where it killed six people and caused $2.5 billion in damage. Six people died in incidents connected to the storm, including a National Guardsman who was killed when his truck overturned trying to avoid live wires during storm cleanup. Storm surge from Hurricane Flossie in 2007 ran up Punaluu black sand beach. The famed tunnel of eucalyptus trees near Koloa, a town on the southern coast, became a tunnel of toothpicks after Iniki struck. Islamic Center of Cleveland is a non-profit organization. Hurricane Iniki was by far the strongest and most destructive. It was closed in 1992 when Hurricane Iniki swept across the island. Depending on who is doing the counting, the island experienced at least $1 billion (federal-government estimate) or $2 billion (county of Kauai) in damage. A Warner Bros. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. (Murray Close/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images), Scene from Jurassic Park There were places on the south shore that were inundated, houses were knocked off their foundations and vehicles were gone. The Category 4 storm Hurricane Lane currently approaching Hawaii is the biggest weather threat the islands have faced in years. The hurricane had a profound effect on the people who survived it, too. The hotel was featured in Elvis Presleys 1961 film Blue Hawaii.. Well, the couple of hours that you see devastation is Mother Nature at its worst, but when you see the aftermath of rebuilding, no water, no electricity, and sorrow and devastation and drama and domestics, whatever you want to call it, its a major stress factor on any human being and I say that because nobody would know how to prepare, he told KHON. HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - At 8 a.m. on Sept. 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki reached its peak intensity and was headed straight for . "Some people are cautious about bringing visitors back too soon.". The storm caused over $1.8 billion in damages, 1,400 destroyed homes and resulted in six deaths. On Sept. 11, 1992, Iniki made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on the island of Kauai. The next day Yukimura manned her post as Category 4 Hurricane Iniki stormed the Garden Island roughly between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. From a window inside the county building, she watched the roof fly off the Big Save shopping center across the street. John Waihee. More than 2,000 houses were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. 1992, Hurricane Iniki: This was the most devastating hurricane to ever strike Hawaii. All suffered heavy damage from Iniki, which on Sept. 11, 1992, destroyed or damaged most of the structures on this 627-square-mile island. Even all these years later, Iniki remains the most powerful hurricane to hit the state in modern history. But he had news for them. dale tiffany lamp shade With a rare storm hitting Hawaii during the filming for the 1993 movie, it is any fan's guess on what scenes were added or scrapped due to the impacts of Mother Nature. It was quite apparent that Kauai sustained considerable damage to the island's electrical, water, and communication infrastructure. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai, causing 2.4 billion dollars in damage. PHOTOS: 28 years ago, Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai, Former Mililani High athletic director indicted, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, KHNLPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KGMBPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KFVEPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KSIXPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KOGGPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246. 2018 Islamic Center of Cleveland. "So I thanked him for filming here, and I said, 'don't worry, you guys will be gone before the hurricane hits.' The main shopping center is crowded with Christmas shoppers and Santa Claus decorations and Christmas trees appear all over the island. This time officials are insisting rebuilders include hurricane clips to hold down roofs, plus other precautions. . Parts of the state had no electricity for weeks, and thousands of people were displaced from their homes. Accordingly, some complain she is too cautious in urging a return to tourism; others say the trip to Japan was premature when some islanders are still homeless. Extensive damage from Hurricane Iniki is seen in Kapaa in the 1992 photo. This time the storm destroyed 50% of the islands power lines. 2023 Getty Images. The hurricane wreaked havoc on the islands electrical and phone systems as well. Four weeks into the disaster, only 20% of the islands electricity was restored. Iwa's Formation: Iwa begun developing as a low pressure trough near the equator in early November 1982. All Rights Reserved. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Hurricane Iniki was packing 140 mph winds went it made landfall on Kauai. Take, for example, the state of hotels on Kauai after Hurricane Iniki, which inflicted $1.6 billion in damage on Sept. 11, 1992. "This is our money maker," she said, gesturing to the scoured rooms and debris-filled swimming pool. Some 10,000 children attend Kauai's public schools, which opened for the year on Sept. 8, three days before Hurricane Iniki pummeled the island with winds gusting up to 160 miles per hour . (Photo copyright NOAA NWS). I remember that particular moment like it was yesterday, he said. On Kauai's North Shore, the strong winds rocked the Princeville Hotel, which is now known as the St. Regis Princeville Resort. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Hurricane Iniki: 20 Years Later. On September 11, 1992, the small but intense system came out of the south in the central Pacific and traveled directly over the island. Ten years ago, Hurricane Iwa hit Kauai with 110 m.p.h. "We opened theEOC at midnight, and from then on it was 'how do we get people prepared and off the streets, in safe places and get set for the storm,'" said Yukimura. That wind it was an ominous sound, Kawakami said. Hurricanes cause widespread and extensive damage from high winds, dangerous surf, and flooding. Request more information about UH Hilo, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Title IX institution and a campus of the University of Hawaii system. Hurricane Iniki Chickens. He wondered whether his friends and family were still alive and concluded, This island is never going to get fixed.. It was the second and final named hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii since Hurricane Dot in 1959. Some users may need to click herefor more photos. "We were able to establish our communications and control activities pretty nicely there.". As Hurricane Lane barrels toward Hawaii as a Category 4 storm, longtime residents are recalling the last time a hurricane made a direct hit on the state. In actual dollar value, this would make Iniki the . Read the full story with our Print & Digital Subscription. At the time, Kauai had a population of just over 51,000 people. Iniki is the costliest natural disaster in Hawaiian history. It hit the islands of Hawaii on September 11, 1992. Iniki's high winds stripped foliage from trees and branches. A photo of a Kauai business building struck by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Did you encounter any technical issues? (Photo copyright NOAA NWS) (Photo copyright NOAA NWS) Reid, representative for the Westin Kauai, and her contractor husband, Michael, built their house with, among other things, the proper clips and hurricane glass. A Navy instrument on a 1,500-foot-high ridge recorded a gust of 227 mph before it was swept away. Telephone service was lost. Looking back, Yukimura said there was a positive spiritual side to Iniki, one that she described as a collective near-death experience for the people of the island.. This photo shows one of the 1,500 homes damaged by Hurricane Iniki on Kauai on September 11, 1992. The next morning, the crew cleared the road into the hotel, arranged for supplies from California, and loaned the hotel the portable generators they had used for jungle filming. Kauai residents are eager for the dollars that make up at least 45 percent of the economy, yet distracted by the task of repairing homes and lives. YUKIMURA WAS at an Oahu fundraiser on Sept. 10 but was summoned home late that night, hitching a ride on a military flight. When Iniki moved over Kauai in the afternoon of September 11, 1992, wind speeds were estimated at 130 mph with gusts to 160 mph, and its central pressure was approximately 945 millibars. Some ventured out to check on neighbors and loved ones, but the sun was setting and there was no electricity. Extensive damage from Hurricane Iniki is seen in Kapaa in the 1992 photo. "It was a long night sitting there wondering what happened to the rest of the island, and if everybody was okay, if we were the lucky ones or the unfortunate ones. The photos below are courtesy of the NOAA National Weather Service. (Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). County leaders say it took about a decade for the island to completely recover. Kapaas Kuhio Highway and Kauwila Street now. In 1992 the island of Kauai was hit by a powerful hurricane, Iniki, which caused extensive damage to the island. Both skilled labor and construction supplies specially suited for the tropics must be imported, much of it from the Pacific Northwest. The name Iniki was retired because of the damage it caused, replaced by Iolana in the central-north Pacific tropical storm list. It was adesignated shelter, and about 1,200 people took refuge from the hurricane there. Hurricane Iniki made landfall in Hawaii on September 11, 1992. Copyright 2012 Hawaii News Now. That was the memo that the mayor of New Orleans didnt send after Katrina, and it caused a lot of trouble, Yukimura said. Activate your Digital Account now. Now it is green once more, thousands of new branches sprouting from battered limbs. Islamic Center of Cleveland serves the largest Muslim community in Northeast Ohio. redistributed. Download Hurricane Winds stock photos. Data from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration show only four major hurricanes with winds of at least 115 mph passing within 50 miles of the 137 Hawaiian Islands. Travelers who return now will find fewer amenities, scenes of awesome destruction, uncrowded beaches and viewpoints, and mixed emotions from islanders. . Iniki has given fast-developing Kauai an enforced breather to consider growth issues. From the air, the verdant mountains of Kauai appeared burnt and bare, she said, and the Na Pali Coasts normally spectacular cliffs had been transformed into a brown, leafless haze.