30 years after Iniki, memories of storm’s might remain fresh
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Sept. 11, 2022 marked 30 years since Hurricane Iniki slammed into Hawaii.
Iniki was the most powerful storm to devastate the islands in modern history, causing six deaths and more than $3 billion in damages.
Kauai bore the brunt of the Category 4 storm, but throughout the ordeal, residents’ resilience shone through.
Iniki was fierce — heavy rains and winds of more than 145 miles per hour destroyed buildings and infrastructure, and left the island without electricity and water.
“There were 5,000 utility poles downed, plus trees and debris, and you can’t get emergency supplies anywhere unless the streets are cleared,” said JoAnn Yukimura, Kauai’s mayor at the time.
“In the first hours after the hurricane, it felt like a third world country.”
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While Hawaii officials had learned from Hurricane Iwa 10 years prior, she says they scrambled to get shelters in place.
“The response of which was immediately after the hurricane, and that was frantic. We weren’t prepared in many ways,” she said.
Getting information out was a big challenge — without cellular phones and roads blocked, messages had to be delivered by foot or bike.
“The entire island was helpless, no form of communication,” recalled local radio personality Ron Wiley, who was on air at KONG. The radio station was able to get back on air the day after the hurricane.
“You could hear two things throughout our island. The sound calm radio, and generators, generators humming all night long. And of course that must have irritated so many folks, but you knew that that meant there was a way for people to get some sort of power,” Wiley said.
KONG’s broadcasts served as the only source of information and method of communication between emergency responders in the early days.
“Our mayor was great. She came in and I’ve talked on the air and gave us that great phrase: ‘If we hang on.’ Hang on, local style, and the local style community immediately,” Wiley said.
And hang on they did. Thousands of people lost their homes, but despite the devastation, residents remained resilient. People helped each other as they had done in previous disasters.
“Thirty years ago, people really did know their neighbors, and they understood their neighbors. That might not be as true today. But it came through right away,” Wiley said.
“Kauai strong,” residents call it, a spirit that lives on today.
“I just cannot over emphasize the love, not just the strength, not just the cooperation. The love Kauai people have for each other,” Wiley said.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency reminds residents about the importance of disaster preparedness in a short documentary called the “Lessons of Iniki.”
Officials urge people to make an emergency plan and stock supplies.
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