More satellites and sophisticated equipment are available to weather forecasters to better track hurricanes since the wrath of Hurricane Iniki struck Hawaii two decades ago.

On Iniki’s 20th anniversary on Tuesday, Ray Tanabe, director of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, announced significant improvements to hurricane tracking.

Among them are data from two weather satellites and a backup satellite, enabling forecasters to receive updates every 15 minutes and, if needed, every six minutes. The next generation of satellites will provide updates every minute, he said.

In 1992 only one weather satellite was available, positioned over the Midwest to provide coverage over the Atlantic and most of the Pacific. Satellite imagery for Hawaii was distorted, and updates were available every hour, Tanabe said.

Sophisticated instruments also allow forecasters “to look through high clouds and see into the structure of the hurricane and what’s going on at low levels where changes are important,”?Tanabe added.

At about 3:30 p.m. Sept. 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki made a direct hit on Kauai and battered the Wai­anae Coast of Oahu. The initial damage to Kauai and Oahu was estimated at $1.8 billion. It was later revised to $2.8 billion, making Hurricane Iniki the sixth-costliest disaster in the United States at the time.

While better tools are available to help with hurricane predictions, gains have yet to made on forecasting storms’ intensity.

“Some hurricanes intensify really quickly. We don’t have a good handle on why they do that,”?Tanabe said. “While we’ve gotten a lot better at telling you where a hurricane is going to be, we still struggle to tell you how strong it’s going to be when it gets there.”

Researchers of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Research Division in Florida are focusing their efforts on what makes hurricanes rapidly strengthen or weaken.

Meanwhile, officials are working on a post-disaster recovery plan to prepare for a large-scale disaster like Hurricane Iniki.

State Civil Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently rolled out the six areas they will study: economic, housing, natural resources, community planning and capacity building, health and social services, and infrastructure systems.

Civil Defense Vice Director Doug Mayne said they will be working with each county to establish its plan. “Up to now, post-disaster recovery has just kind of been a continuation of the response effort,” Mayne said. The goal is to work with the community and all government levels to develop long-term strategies so rebuilding can begin more quickly, collaboratively and cohesively should a major natural disaster hit.

As officials work on a post-recovery disaster plan, Mayne urged residents to focus on individual preparedness as help from the government can take a while.

Although a hurricane has not hit Hawaii in 20 years, officials remind the public that preparedness is vital because a hurricane can strike at any time.

“The bottom line is we can’t let our guard down, and we always need to be prepared,” Tanabe said. “The best warnings we issue don’t mean anything if you’re not listening, if you wait too long or if you’re not prepared.”