Photos from the Coco Palms Tour. This photo shows one of the 1,500 homes damaged by Hurricane Iniki on Kauai on September 11, 1992. 12:14 PM EDT, Thu August 23, 2018. Four weeks into the disaster, only 20% of the islands electricity was restored. Storm surge produced widespread flooding along the coastline. It was during the 1991-1994 El Nino that hurricanes such as Iniki were formed along the Central Pacific. Storm surge, an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm. The flood of money has opened up a rush of construction, cleanup and claims-processing jobs. All rights reserved. But he had news for them. Even the roof of this building being used by the Red Cross was not spared damage from Hurricane Iniki. Meanwhile, FEMA has distributed more than $250 million and the Small Business Administration $138 million. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much appreciated. 30 years ago, the most destructive storm in Hawaii's history, Hurricane Iniki, ravaged the island with 145 mph winds catching many residents and tourists off-guard. Two doors down there was a house that looked like it was hit by a bomb, Kawakami recalled. Residents described this place as looking like a "plucked chicken" after Iniki, the worst hurricane in Hawaiian history, struck Sept. 11. Everyone is stressed out.". . The resort was built in 1990. Even though the hurricane force winds were confined to the island of Kauai, all the other islands in the state experienced some damage from strong winds and heavy (4-6 foot) surf. Nicholas Barretto on Twitter: "Hurricane Iniki was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded to strike . Ojas survived the storm by wedging a table into a corner and crawling under it with her child after the walls on her rental home blew away. Some users may need to click herefor more photos. The good news in the short run is that much of Kauai will be rebuilt in the next year. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Charles Fletcher, a coastal marine geologist at the University of Hawaii, questions the wisdom of that. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The legendary hotel, famously featured in Elvis Presleys 1961 film Blue Hawaii, was shuttered when Iniki hit and never reopened for various reasons. JoAnn Yukimura, who was . Hurricane Iniki was the costliest hurricane to strike the state of Hawaii, causing $3.1 billion in damage. Iniki was a small but intense hurricane (minimal category Four) which made landfall on Kauai where it killed six people and caused $2.5 billion in damage. Kauai resident Mike Miranda was 12 when Hurricane Iniki devastated the island 26 years ago. With a rare storm hitting Hawaii during the filming for the 1993 movie, it is any fan's guess on what scenes were added or scrapped due to the impacts of Mother Nature. KAUAI COUNTY, HAWAII (KITV4) -- Thirty years ago, Hurricane Iniki ravaged the Island of Kauai, destroying more than 1,400 homes and leaving behind $3 billion in damage. Parts of the state had no electricity for weeks, and thousands of people were displaced from their homes. It was the second and final named hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii since Hurricane Dot in 1959. 1992 was the most active Pacific hurricane season on record. Heavy waves battered coastal areas of southern . More than 5,000 utility poles were downed across the island, and the power company, called Kauai Electric back then, had even more challenges closer to home. Photo Credit-Wikimedia Commons-Public Domain. All Rights Reserved. Kauai took a direct hit from hurricane Iniki. Mahoning Valley Scrappers Tickets. "At first you're depressed," he said. He wondered whether his friends and family were still alive and concluded, This island is never going to get fixed.. Visit the Civil Defense Civil Defense website for up-to-date information. Hurricane strikes on the fiftieth state are rare, but a major hit is even more extreme. Coppin Colburn, now the Director of Security at the hotel, remembers well what he was doing. Fleeson said he bid the job by studying aerial photographs of the ravaged unit published in the San Francisco Chronicle. We went back to visit Kauai in 2007 and was sad to see what the Iniki hurricane did to the place. All . On the day after Hurricane Iniki smashed into Kauai 30 years ago today, then-Mayor JoAnn Yukimura toured the ravaged island in a helicopter with Gov. Updated Ten years ago, Hurricane Iwa hit Kauai with 110 m.p.h. About 100 people were injured from the storm. Enjoy this free story! Entdecke 1993 Hyatt Regency Kauai Major Resort Hawaii Island Hurrikan 8X10 Vintage Foto in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! The aftermath is things that people dont even think about, and the aftermath is devastating, Chang said. High surf along the shoreline washed cars on top of one another. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. Across Kauai, residents boarded up their windows and thousands of visitors were at Lihue Airport hoping to get off the island. Halfway down the photo, a white line of debris indicates how far inland the storm waves traveled. Read this story for free: Watch an ad or complete a survey, Hawaii Real Estate Sales: Aug. 1 Aug. 5, 2022, By Timothy Hurley thurley@staradvertiser.com. 2023 Cable News Network. After the 1982 hurricane, home-building codes were relaxed for a year to speed reconstruction. Hurricane Iniki was a small, but very intense hurricane; classified as a minimum category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. It was quite apparent that Kauai sustained considerable damage to the island's electrical, water, and communication infrastructure. The hurricane impacted filming of Jurassic Park and caused significant damage in Hawaii. There are still 54 tents and 82 people in that camp, one of nine such camps. Search instead for. Still, "It is remarkable how fast nature recovers from these things," he said. Similar to Hurricane Andrew, which struck Florida only a couple of weeks before, there are few signs still around today from the 1992 storm. Rounding them up has not been possible so we are being woken up by roosters every morning. Following Hurricane Iniki in 1992 (estimated $3 billion in damage), insurance companies refused to sell . Farthest South Australia City, On Oahu, officials estimated that a third of the population evacuated. "Mahalo" (thank you) signs dot the island, singling out every entity from the military to God for praise. Some ventured out to check on neighbors and loved ones, but the sun was setting and there was no electricity. In shortest supply are building materials and good contractors. Video of the waves and the torrential rainfall was actually taken along Kauai's Nawiliwili Bay during the run-up to Iniki's landfall. I found that non-native trees had a 2-3 times the chance of falling down than did the native trees. redistributed. This time the storm destroyed 50% of the islands power lines. The county is scrambling to try to find alternative housing for the workers. Kauaians remain remarkably cheerful. While only 10 percent of Kauai's visitors are Japanese, all the major resorts are owned by Japanese corporations. LIHUE, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Twenty years ago, Hurricane Iniki roared across our islands. The Jurassic Park cast had already been on the island for an extended time filming scenes such as Dr. Alan Grant discovering a dinosaur egg, the automated ride through the park in the distinguished SUVs and other clips where wide angles of untouched landscape where needed. (Photo copyright NOAA NWS), Storm surge produced widespread flooding along the coastline. "We could tell within the first hour it was going to be bad.". (Click on image to see full size) Hurricanes in Hawaii: Hurricanes are relatively rare events in the Hawaiian Islands. The name Iniki was retired because of the damage it caused, replaced by Iolana in the central-north Pacific tropical storm list. The massive Category 4 storm damaged or destroyed 90% of the islands homes and buildings. Some 4,000 others sustained serious damage. "The night before, I was on the Valley House set thanking Steven Spielberg for filming here. Yukimura sayssome of theanemometers, or devices used to measure wind velocity,broke off at about 200 mph up in the mountains. Those restaurants still open are crowded with construction workers - some from the Seattle area - instead of tourists. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or TODAY, THERE arent a lot of visual reminders of Hurricane Iniki on Kauai with one rather large exception: the Coco Palms Resort. 2. 2023 University of Hawaii at Hilo, 200 W. Kwili St., Hilo, HI, 96720. But now this island without seasons is experiencing a spring. Iniki was accompanied by storm tides ranging from 4.5 to 6.3 feet above normal, with 20 to 35 foot storm waves. For the disaster response, Yukimura gave lots of credit to Tom Batey, her managing director, a veteran Hawaii State Civil Defense official who took up his new position only a month prior to Iniki. Six people died in incidents connected to the storm, including a National Guardsman who was killed when his truck overturned trying to avoid live wires during storm cleanup. LIHUE, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Twenty years ago, Hurricane Iniki roared across our islands. Iniki was the third most-damaging hurricane in U.S. history, after Andrew, which struck Florida in August, and Hugo, which devastated parts of the Southeast in 1989. (Photo copyright NOAA NWS), High surf along the shoreline washed cars on top of one another. More than 2,000 houses on Kauai were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. For their part, aid workers who have come to Kauai return the islanders' praise. That made it the third-costliest United States hurricane at the time, behind Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, one month prior to Iniki. Now it is green once more, thousands of new branches sprouting from battered limbs. Next to him was his daughter, Jenn. When Hurricane Iniki hit Hawaii on September 11, 1992, it packed 140-mile-per-hour winds, making landfall on Kauai. A photo of a . Adjusted for inflation . Hurricane Iniki was packing 140 mph winds went it made landfall on Kauai. There is still damag. Rita Hayworth, Rita Moreno, and Elvis Presley all filmed movies at the resort. Extensive damage from Hurricane Iniki is seen in Kapaa in the 1992 photo. It was a small but intense hurricane which was classified as a minimal category Four on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricane Iniki (/ i n i k i / ee-NEE-kee; Hawaiian: iniki meaning "strong and piercing wind") was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Hawaii in recorded history. Web Design : https://iccleveland.org/wp-content/themes/icc/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg. On September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki - also a Category 4 storm - passed north directly through Kauai, causing about $3 billion in damage, killing several people and knocking out power for . The county wants to impose a $750-a-month camping fee to clear parks of squatters before tourists return. On 11 September 1992, Iniki was located just south of the island of Kauai moving northward at 30 mi/h (48 km/h) with winds of 145 mi/h (233 km/h) and gusts up to 175 mi/h (281 km/h) ( U.S. Department of Commerce, 1993 ). Telephone service was lost. "Because there was such a large volume of people coming in and they were in the meeting rooms on the 10th floor, we had meeting rooms on the 8th floor and we had corridors that were filled, corridors that people had never seen before that we were putting people in to keep them safe.". He said the coordination between local and federal agencies was a "textbook" disaster response. Wind was the biggest factor driving the destruction, but dozens of homes and buildings along the coast were destroyed due to surf damage, and all of the major resorts were rendered inoperable, especially those along the South Shore, where 22-foot wave surges swept as much as 800 feet inland. Iniki was the deadliest and by far the costliest hurricane to ever strike Hawaii. Annually, between four and five tropical [] like Iniki, to cause extensive damage to any island. Figure 1: High resolution infrared image of Hurricane Iniki making landfall on Kauai at 3:15 PM HST on 11 September 1992. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. Photo: NOAA. First it was Hurricane Iniki in 1992. Hurricanes cause widespread and extensive damage from high winds, dangerous surf, and flooding. webpack prettier-eslint A Homeowner's Guide to Hurricane Retrofit . A photo of a Kauai business building struck by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. The storm caused over $1.8 billion in damages, 1,400 destroyed homes and resulted in six deaths. Popular Poipu restaurant Brennecke's Beach Broiler survived, but took a beating. The department also tells us that, "In its wake, Iniki left a path of destruction expected to approach 1.8 billion dollars. Just two years ago, heavy rains triggered landslides that cut off entire communities on Kauai's north shore for . He wrote out a three-page memo for the mayor to give the governor, asking for every type of aid Kauai was going to need. Hurricane Iniki was a Category 4 hurricane that struck the island of Kauai on September 11, 1992. "Everyone who comes to Hawaii wants to stay on the beach.". The disaster pulled the island's 50,000 residents together as never before, but also made plain the island's dependence on outside money and supplies, the risks of a highly developed tourism economy, and its vulnerability to hurricanes. 500 Ala Moana Blvd. A NOAA summary of the storm lays out the devastation Iniki caused, particularly for Kauai but also for nearby Oahu. of 1 With the extent of damage . The greatest damage incurred was on Kauai, where the hurricane destroyed more than 1,400 houses while also severely damaging more than 5,000 others. Then Iniki hit, the waves hurling logs and rocks into the oceanside rooms. Iniki caused six deaths and more than $3 billion in damages to the state . considerable damage. On Sept. 11, 1992, roaring 145-mile-per-hour winds gusting up to 225 miles per hour slammed the Garden Island. Both skilled labor and construction supplies specially suited for the tropics must be imported, much of it from the Pacific Northwest. Kauai is the wettest and lushest of the Hawaiian islands, and the ecosystem is showing its resilience. Islamic Center of Cleveland is a non-profit organization. We showed ourselves and the world that we could survive and then thrive.. It hit the islands of Hawaii on September 11, 1992. Yukimura is the first mayor to be elected on Kauai who has expressed some skepticism of development, winning on her third try. Discovery Company. But due to the adventurous nature of some of the Jurassic Park crew, there was at least one clip in the over two-hour movie that showed the force of the Category 4 hurricane. She sees no choice but to rebuild next to the ocean. On September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai, causing over $3 billion in damage and six deaths. Dr. Richard Guttler gave a thumbs up despite the damage to his Poipu home. Copyright 2023 StarAdvertiser.com. "The last hurricane that hit Hawaii was Hurricane Iniki in 1992, and Kauai took the brunt of the damage," said Insurance Commissioner Gordon Ito.. FEMA News Photo. Finally, in early September 1992 Hurricane Iniki bore Comparing Iniki to Irma on the 25th Anniversary | Maui Now It passed directly over the island of Kauai on September 11 . Neighbors shared tarps, stoves, lanterns, showers, water or anything else they could pool. "They were phenomenal," Paulette Brutner, an employee at the Kokee Museum, said of the Army and Red Cross. Although our silver anniversary was back in 2011, we would like celebrate by coming back to the Coco Palms when it is ccompleted. 2023 Getty Images. YUKIMURA WAS at an Oahu fundraiser on Sept. 10 but was summoned home late that night, hitching a ride on a military flight. Did you encounter any technical issues? All rights reserved. Here are photos from the storm and its aftermath. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai, causing 2.4 billion dollars in damage. All rights reserved. "It was devastating. On Sept. 11, 1992, Iniki made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on the island of Kauai. Kawakami was asked by his father, Charles Kawakami, president and CEO of Big Save Markets, to drive him in his 4-by-4 vehicle to the Lihue store so he could assess the damage along with a Civil Defense official. These links on the Internet from around the world reminds us of what impact the day September 11, 1992 had for the people on Kauai and throughout Hawaii. Iniki's high winds stripped foliage from trees and branches. Well, the couple of hours that you see devastation is Mother Nature at its worst, but when you see the aftermath of rebuilding, no water, no electricity, and sorrow and devastation and drama and domestics, whatever you want to call it, its a major stress factor on any human being and I say that because nobody would know how to prepare, he told KHON. dale tiffany lamp shade Hurricane Iniki was the most destructive hurricane to hit the islands of Hawaii over this century and is the third in the U.S. history to be the most damaging. Only six deaths were reported. Watch video of Hurricane Estelle damage to Puna in 1986. Siemens Chicago Headquarters, Hurricane Iniki On September 11, 1992, the residents of the state of Hawai'i were awakened at 5:30am by Civil Defense alarms. Depending on who is doing the counting, the island experienced at least $1 billion (federal-government estimate) or $2 billion (county of Kauai) in damage. (Photo copyright NOAA NWS), Storm surge ripped asphalt into pieces and knocked over palm trees. Hurricanes cause widespread and extensive damage from high winds, dangerous surf, and flooding. Some 10,000 children attend Kauai's public schools, which opened for the year on Sept. 8, three days before Hurricane Iniki pummeled the island with winds gusting up to 160 miles per hour . The Central Pacific Hurricane Center says Iniki brought 140 mph winds, with gusts as high as 175 miles per hour, that ripped off roofs, uprooted trees, and knocked out all power and telephone service islandwide. It passed just west of Kauai, causing severe property damage, minor physical injuries and one death. On Sept. 11, 1992, Iniki made landfall on the south side of Kauai with winds blasting at 145 mph. On September 11, 1992, the small but intense system came out of the south in the central Pacific and traveled directly over the island. 1992 - Hurricane Iniki: Hurricane Iniki became a category four hurricane was the most devastating hurricane to hit Hawai'i. The island of Hawaii had massive amounts of rain, it's the island that saw the worst effects. Lessons of Iniki. She estimated property damage on the island at more than $500 million, and Gov. The eye of the storm passed directly over Kauai, causing catastrophic damage. Winds topped 145 mph during landfall. It hit on Sept. 11, 1992 the strongest storm in modern Hawaii history. Some Kauai palms look as blasted on top as those in films of World War II, and occasional patches of fragile trees look like they were hit by artillery. During the difficult and slow drive, the younger Kawakami saw utility poles scattered about like piles of chopsticks and trees stripped of their branches. "A lot of people are comparing the similarities between Iniki and Lane," he said. It was closed in 1992 when Hurricane Iniki swept across the island. Hawaii Hurricane Devastates Kauai Iniki Blamed For 3 Deaths, Scores of Injuries By Al Kamen . Hurricane Iwa in 1982 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992 were especially destructive, causing billions of dollars in damage, especially on Kaua'i. Other islands, however, have seen bookings surge since Iniki caused Kauai visitors to switch to other resorts. Log in now to continue reading this story. Iniki was the third most-damaging hurricane in U.S. history, after Andrew, which struck Florida in August, and Hugo, which devastated parts of the Southeast in 1989. The arduous cleanup and rebuilding would go on for years, with one Poipu hotel not reopening for 16 years. Kauai has heard that before, and a Kauai Planning Commission meeting last month drew dozens of unhappy residents to testify in opposition to the latest resort plans. John Waihee. Local officials reported that 12,000 people were accommodated in public shelters after the storm, according to a 1993 government report. But he can take his surfboard out into a near-empty cove now. Hurricane Iniki, the most powerful and costliest storm to strike the islands in recorded history, made landfall on 11 September and destroyed thousands of homes with violent winds of 145 miles per . A once-thriving business building in Hanapepe, Kauai stands derelict on Sept. 5, 2002, untouched ten years after its destruction by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. 9/01/1992 Nearly the entire roof has been blown off this multi-story apartment building during Hurricane Iniki. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. There is still damage on the island decades later. Earlier on the day after the storm, 15-year-old Derek Kawakami, who would go on to become the current mayor of Kauai, emerged from his relatively unscathed Lihue home into a scene of broken trees, blown roofs, downed power lines and scattered debris. Storm surge ripped asphalt into pieces and knocked over palm trees. Forming on September 5, 1992, during the strong 1990-1995 El Nio, Iniki was one of eleven Central Pacific tropical cyclones during that season.It attained tropical storm status on September 8 and . 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, KHNLPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KGMBPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KFVEPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KSIXPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KOGGPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246. (Photo copyright NOAA). He misses not seeing the typical sunbathers outside his windows each day. "We don't want people to feel the island was destroyed, but we want to warn them of our limitations," explained JoAnn Yukimura, mayor of Kauai County. When it seemed we had lost everything, we realized we had a lot our lives, our loved ones, our neighbors and friends, and the will to rebuild better and stronger, she said. Many Kauaians already are forced to hold more than one job because of the high cost of living. Thousands of roofs still have plastic tarps to keep out the rain, and sheets of plywood cover some windows. Iniki caused $3.1 billion in damage, making it the 2nd costliest Pacific hurricane on record. The more ominous long-term worry is whether hurricane fears will keep tourists away. Photo: [David Rudawitz, N6QXQ, a Red Cross volunteer from Anaheim, California, supervises damage assessment at Poipu Beach. When it seemed we had lost everything, we realized we had a lot our lives, our loved ones, our neighbors and friends, and the will to rebuild better and stronger. "It was a long night sitting there wondering what happened to the rest of the island, and if everybody was okay, if we were the lucky ones or the unfortunate ones. (AP Photo) Updated on Jul 27, 2020 12:49 PM IST Share Via Hurricane Iniki formed up in the South Pacific, slowly approaching Hawaii in a very indirect route, approaching and veering alternately as sort of a tease. Iwa's Formation: Iwa begun developing as a low pressure trough near the equator in early November 1982. Photo by Anne Schrager, special to the Chronicle . Looking back, Yukimura said there was a positive spiritual side to Iniki, one that she described as a collective near-death experience for the people of the island.. On September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki also a Category 4 storm passed north directly through Kauai, causing about $3 billion in damage, killing several people and knocking out power for weeks there. But some island properties were so badly damaged they won't be open until next fall. He invited visiting soldiers into his wave-battered living room, declining their offer to share emergency rations, and later marveled at the emptiness of his beach. Browse 3 hurricane_iniki stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Officials believe the situation is temporary. "Not to mention the island and when tourism didn't . In 2015, Hawaii faced three Category 4 hurricanes at the same time . Long lines of cars could be seen at gas stations and grocery stores were packed with people scrambling to prepare for the storm, which had made a sudden and unexpected turn toward the islands. Hurricane shutter open. The hurricane had a profound effect on the people who survived it, too. John Greco, co-owner of Bubba's Burgers, said it was too late and too dangerous to take a look around. The death toll of four was remarkably small for an intense hurricane. "That next day when we came down to clean up, we had to unpack all the sand and seaweed and large rocks that had stuffed themselves all the way to the back coolers and everything.". The Poipu Beach area on the south shore, blasted by Hurricane Iwa on Nov. 23, 1982, was ravaged even worse this time. The hotel was featured in Elvis Presleys 1961 film Blue Hawaii.. The storm caused over $1.8 billion in damages, 1,400 destroyed homes and resulted in six deaths. The photos below are courtesy of the NOAA National Weather Service. Free with trial. One woman on Kauai died of a heart attack when part of her house fell on her, while a man was killed by flying debris as he was dashing to a neighbors house with his own residence falling apart. The destructive force of hurricanes in Hawaii was powerfully demonstrated on 11 September 1992 when Hurricane Iniki struck the island of Kauai with sustained winds of 130 mph and caused over $2.3 billion in property . Informative Speech About Slavery, "We opened theEOC at midnight, and from then on it was 'how do we get people prepared and off the streets, in safe places and get set for the storm,'" said Yukimura. Even 30 years later, the sights and sounds and memories of Hurricane Iniki are fresh. Most islanders have found housing, and many of the remaining tents are occupied by construction workers trying to save on rent. (Murray Close/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images), Scene from Jurassic Park (Murray Close/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images), Scene from 1993 motion picture Jurassic Park Loss of tourism revenue is estimated at $250 million to $500 million. From the air, the verdant mountains of Kauai appeared burnt and bare, she said, and the Na Pali Coasts normally spectacular cliffs had been transformed into a brown, leafless haze. Hurricane Iniki was packing 140 mph winds went it made landfall on Kauai. (Andre Seale/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images). Heavy rains can produce unusually heavy or prolonged rainfall that can cause extensive flooding. ", 'THIS IS IT': 30-YEAR-OLD AUDIO RECOUNTS FAMILY'S FEAR AS HURRICANE ANDREW SHREDDED THEIR HOME. Cyclone strom winds palm trees . The problem, explains Tom Telfer, district wildlife biologist for Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources, is that the double-blow of Iwa and Iniki has knocked out native species and given non-natives, such as the weed clidemia, room to take over. Hurricane Iniki On September 11, 1992, the residents of the state of Hawai'i were awakened at 5:30am by Civil Defense alarms. Copyright 2012 Hawaii News Now. The warning sirens started blaring early that morning and the hours before impact were chaotic. 1992, Hurricane Iniki: This was the most devastating hurricane to ever strike Hawaii. The Sheraton at Poipu had finished a $22 million renovation of its beachfront side in April. . Pretty terrifying.". CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM, Coco Palms Resort, photographed from Kuhio Highway on Thursday, never reopened after Hurricane Iniki destroyed it. Repair crews are swarming like bees on roofs all over the island. Print subscriber but without online access? Hurricane Iniki Chickens. He said some people say they wish they had been there. While there are plenty of tales of individual hardship - the shutdown of tourism pushed the unemployment rate to 25 percent by October - many Kauaians praised the response of both the government and the insurance industry in providing aid and settling claims. The storm was aptly named, as Iniki means strong and piercing wind in . She went straight to the historic county building in Lihue, with its emergency operations center in the basement, and helped secure last-minute public shelter arrangements. According to the National Weather Service, this year, being an El Nio year, will be a busy . 2018 Islamic Center of Cleveland. Physical reconstruction of the 551-square-mile island (about a quarter the size of King County) is following more slowly.