Shore up defense against hurricanes

There are always lessons to be learned from history, both from the distant past and from more recent events. It’s been a quarter of a century since Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai and grievously damaged Oahu’s Waianae Coast. In the years since that Sept. 11, 1992, storm, the state has developed much better coordination among the government agencies that handle the emergency response, and communication has vastly improved.

But anyone who watched coverage of Hurricane Irma in the past week had to come away impressed with how the affected states worked to keep their citizens safe. Floridians in particular heard the persistent alarms to evacuate. That, above all else, undoubtedly saved lives.

The question remains: Would Hawaii residents have that option?

A story by Honolulu Star-Advertiser writer Rob Perez on Sunday suggests the answer is no. Like Barbuda, St. Martin and other Caribbean islands flattened by the winds, Hawaii has many old structures that almost certainly would not survive such an assault.

In this island state, an evacuation would drive those who feel insecure in their homes to seek a public shelter. And Hawaii is still woefully behind in providing such an avenue.

Hawaii has 237 shelters statewide, which can accommodate nearly 278,000 people. But the state has not kept pace with the growth in population and visitor count.

If about a third of the population needed shelter, the islands would fall short by more than 220,000 spaces, say officials for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Further, many of those buildings that have the supplies to serve a shelter function are structurally ill-equipped. Most sheltering would happen in public school buildings, which are old and could not be reinforced to withstand more than a Category 1 hurricane.

Even now, 25 years since Hawaii was hit with a Category 4 storm, there are 40 buildings the state has retrofitted or deemed already to be hurricane-ready. Only one is rated to take buffeting from Category 4 winds. Only one other could survive a Category 3 and only two are up to Category 2 level.

The fact that this critical element of the state’s civil defense infrastructure is so lacking is simply indefensible. Lawmakers and policy leaders have to make such improvements a priority.

On the positive side, Hawaii has close partnerships with the armed forces, alliances that would provide an essential lifeline if transportation channels are disrupted. The military would play an invaluable role in bringing in supplies, keeping transportation routes open on each island and generally providing first-responder assistance.

And the state is fortunate to have a basically well-connected interagency network in place. It has updated building codes and wind design criteria for newer construction since Iniki. But those standards still lag behind those of other states and should be strengthened further.

More public shelters are needed especially for those in flood zones or in dwellings that are less than robust. The $11.5 million earmarked for retrofitting shelters, plus $3 million to be added in each of the next two years, is inadequate.

But even if the state could surmount all of its own hurdles, government alone cannot be expected to provide the full solution. The private citizen must shoulder his or her responsibility as well. Many newer homes can be hardened to serve as single-family shelters. Household members must heed the call to assemble a 14-day supplies survival kit.

More than technology or even increased funding, what makes a community resilient to natural disasters is individual resolve and communal cooperation. The survivors of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma showed that to the world. Surely Hawaii residents have that resource in abundance. Someday, they may need to tap it.