What are
the chances of a hurricane destroying my home?
No
one knows. We can only go on past history. Almost no one expected
a hurricane as powerful as Iniki would strike Hawaii. The
best we can guess is hurricanes in the future will probably
hit Hawaii as frequently as they have in the past. We know
that since 1950 five hurricanes or tropical storms have caused
serious damage in Hawaii. Hurricane Nina in 1957 produced
record winds in Honolulu. Hurricane Dot did a lot of damage
on Kauai in 1959. Hurricane Iwa did extensive damage on Kauai
and Oahu in 1982. Hurricane Estelle produced very high surf
on Hawaii and Maui and floods on Oahu in 1986. Hurricane Iniki
did extensive damage on Kauai and Leeward Oahu in 1992. Since
1950, seven other tropical storms or hurricanes could have
caused serious damage. These include Hurricane Fernanda in
1993, Hurricane Emilia in 1994, and Hurricane Daniel in August
2000.
Where
have the most wind-related insurance claims been for Maui
County?
The
data for this map was compiled from various insurance firms'
homeowner policy claims from 1989 to 1999. This is intended
to serve only for a general hazard indicator map and is not
meant as a policy document.
Source:
Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund
What
are the potential losses from future hurricanes on Maui?
If
a Category 1 storm as strong as Hurricane Iwa, with winds
gusting at 74 mph, strikes any of the islands in the state,
we can guess from past experience that about 12% of the houses
and apartments could be destroyed or heavily damaged and about
18% would probably experience minor damages.
If
a Category 3 storm strikes any island with the same force
as Iniki, with winds raging at 130 mph, we can guess that
about 38% of the homes will be heavily damaged or destroyed.
An additional 40% will probably have minor damages.
The
following information was extrapolated from Kauai Damage in
1982 and 1992. ($ billion in 1992)
|
Oahu |
Maui |
Hawaii
|
Kauai |
| Iwa-Strength
Storm |
$4.5-7.5 |
$0.8-1.4 |
$0.8-1.4 |
$0.3-0.6 |
| Iniki-Strength
Storm |
$13.9-23.3
|
$2.7-4.5 |
$2.6-4.4 |
$1.1-1.9 |
Source:
Hawaii Coastal Hazard Mitigation Planning Project, Office
of Planning, December 1993
Where
have strong winds been measured on Maui?
Click
here to download image map of strong winds.
Strong
trade winds have hammered north and east shores with winds
of 40-60 mph (e.g., December 1993, March 1985, and December
1982).
There
can be a slight acceleration of the trade winds as they blow
between West Maui and Haleakala, so that wind speeds at Maalaea
and north Kihei may be higher than along the North Shore.
Damaging
Kona winds have reached velocities of 50 mph for several days
(e.g., December 1996 and 1988). These winds typically impact
the south-facing shorelines, but are also potential threats
to the north shore as the winds accelerate down the north
slopes of Haleakala.
Some
of the strongest wind events on Maui have been associated
with passing hurricanes, like Hurricane Nina in November 1957,
which brought gusts greater than 90 mph to parts of Maui,
and tropical storms like Daniel in July 1982 which caused
damage along Maui's east coast.
Source: Fletcher, Charles, Eric Grossman,
Bruce Richmond. Atlas of Natural Hazards in the Hawaiian Coastal
Zone.