As hurricane season begins for Hawaii, officials continue to stress importance of preparedness

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hurricane season in the Central Pacific begins Wednesday, and officials continue to stress the importance of preparedness.

Forecasters are predicting a “below average” season for cyclone activity — between two and four cyclones — but they remind the public that it only takes one storm to do significant damage.

Officials are urging everyone to get ready now, especially this year due to the global supply chain backlog.

They say the issue could exacerbate the shipment of relief supplies if a storm strikes.

City emergency officials say both Honolulu Harbor and the airport are highly vulnerable to damage from wind and storm surge. That means it could take 19 days or longer to reopen the harbors — and two weeks to get air operations going.

Special Section: HNN HURRICANE CENTER

Emergency supply kits should be stocked with enough for 14 days.

In 2020, Hurricane Douglas was a close call for Hawaii.

It grew into a powerful Category 4 hurricane and forecast models had it passing right over the state. It eventually missed the islands by just a few dozen miles. Although Douglas did not make landfall, it was the closest hurricane to pass Oahu to the north since official record keeping began in the 1950s.

This year also marks the 40th anniversary of Hurricane Iwa, which passed just west of Kauai as a Category 1 storm in 1982, causing up to $250 million in damage and one death.

It’s also the 30th year since Hurricane Iniki, the Category 4 storm that struck Kauai, causing over $1 billion in damage and six deaths.

The hurricane season runs through Nov. 30.

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