Earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Central Pacific Hurricane Center predicted an 80 percent chance of near- or above-normal activity for this hurricane season, with three to six tropical cyclones expected for the Central Pacific hurricane basin. In August and September, those predictions became a reality, as Hawaii residents prepared for, and experienced Hector, Lane and Olivia.
Hurricane Lane, one of only two recorded Category 5 hurricanes to pass within 350 miles of Hawaii, served as a wakeup call for many who rushed to the nearest store hoping to purchase batteries, toiletries and the recommended 14-day supply of food. They filled their homes with bins of drinking water and prepared for extended power and phone outages, unsure of how long the electrical and telecommunications grid would remain intact.
Although downpours caused some flooding and evacuations on Hawaii island, and heavy winds exacerbated a large brush fire in West Maui, our state is generally thought to have dodged a bullet with Lane, which was downgraded and did not make landfall.
But what if it had? Hawaii still has much work to do to be resilient after a storm greater than a Category 2.
Hawaii is one of the nation’s leaders in renewable energy. However, when it comes to resiliency, what matters is whether our electrical grid is configured to maintain power to critical facilities during an extreme weather event. Strategically placed, renewably powered microgrids with battery storage and diesel backup can reenergize the system after a major failure.
Maintaining a potable water supply is the most critical public health concern after a storm. On Oahu, there are only enough funds budgeted to provide backup power to seven of the 20 critical wells, according to the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. That means that only the low-lying areas, roughly half of urban Honolulu, would have access to clean water. With nearly 1 million people on the island, the risk to public health due to lack of drinkable water and contamination after a storm would reach a crisis level.
The situation with food availability is not much better, given we have only one major port on Oahu and limited local food inventories. If ports statewide are closed for an extended period due to damage, shipping vessels would be unable to deliver essential supplies.
It’s encouraging the Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency is expediting development of Oahu’s first-ever Climate Action Plan. But there are clear steps Hawaii’s business and government leaders must take to bring our community further down the path to achieving greater resiliency before the next storm makes landfall:
>> Conduct extensive joint planning between the essential service utilities (e.g., water, power and telecommunications) and follow through with modernizing our utility grids.
>> Encourage more investment in our energy and water infrastructure and strategically place our wind and solar farms to reduce climate and weather-related vulnerabilities.
>> Retreat essential service infrastructure and critical facilities to higher ground and harden what remains before sea-level rise and storm surge overwhelm them.
>> Grow more of our own food in case our docks become inaccessible. This can be accomplished, in part, by supporting aggressive local food production goals, expanding livestock operations, and investing in new greenhouse ventures.
For over nine years, resiliency and self-sufficiency have been at the core of Ulupono Initiative’s mission. These are the ultimate objectives behind the investments we make to increase use of renewable energy, support local food production, and better manage our fresh water and waste. We urge collaboration between the state, counties and private sectors to advance these initiatives and achieve true self-sufficiency for our islands.
Kyle Datta is general partner of Ulupono Initiative, a Hawaii-focused impact investing firm working toward locally produced food, renewable energy, and better management of water and waste.
