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Until the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, Iniki was the thrd most destructive hurricane in U. S. history and the most destructive to hit the Hawaiian Islands in the 20th Century. Everyone is stressed out.". Iwa's Formation: Iwa begun developing as a low pressure trough near the equator in early November 1982. "She shouldn't be in Japan," said Mari Ojas, 19, a former hula instructor at the Coco Palms resort who has been living in a tent with her 2-year-old daughter since the hurricane. Heavy waves battered coastal areas of southern . Those who took shortcuts paid dearly Sept. 11. We showed ourselves and the world that we could survive and then thrive.. The hurricane had a profound effect on the people who survived it, too. The hurricane damaged or destroyed 14,350 homes on Kauai, according to Red Cross figures. Although our silver anniversary was back in 2011, we would like celebrate by coming back to the Coco Palms when it is ccompleted. Iniki caused six deaths and more than $3 billion in damages to the state . 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. "We could tell within the first hour it was going to be bad.". Even all these years later, Iniki remains the most powerful hurricane to hit the state in modern history. 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. While only 10 percent of Kauai's visitors are Japanese, all the major resorts are owned by Japanese corporations. Hurricane Iniki caused more than $3 billion in damages an amount that would be around $6 billion today due to inflation. The storm caused over $1.8 billion in damages, 1,400 destroyed homes and resulted in six deaths. We take storms seriously on Kauai, he said, adding that the islands resiliency was demonstrated following the 50-inch rain bomb event of 2018, which caused $180 million in damage, wrecked hundreds of homes and unleashed landslides that cut off the islands north shore communities for months. Kauais economy only returned to pre-Iniki levels seven or eight years after the storm, according to the 2014 study by the UH Economic Research Organization, and still hadnt rebounded in terms of its population and labor force. JoAnn Yukimura, who was Kauai Mayor at the time, remembers working to get the island ready. Two doors down there was a house that looked like it was hit by a bomb, Kawakami recalled. Hurricane Iniki On September 11, 1992, the residents of the state of Hawai'i were awakened at 5:30am by Civil Defense alarms. Web Design : https://iccleveland.org/wp-content/themes/icc/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg. Hurricane Iniki made us realize what was truly important, the former mayor said in a statement of remembrance issued Friday. Free or royalty-free photos and images. Kauai resident Mike Miranda was 12 when Hurricane Iniki devastated the island 26 years ago. Rita Hayworth, Rita Moreno, and Elvis Presley all filmed movies at the resort. The hurricane damaged or destroyed 14,350 homes on Kauai, according to Red Cross figures. Typical of the human imports is John Dodge, a wallboard finisher from Seattle working 60-hour, seven-day weeks to reopen the oceanside Mokihana condominium and Bullshed restaurant in Kapaa. YUKIMURA WAS at an Oahu fundraiser on Sept. 10 but was summoned home late that night, hitching a ride on a military flight. 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. (Photo copyright NOAA NWS) 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. Iniki was the deadliest and by far the costliest hurricane to ever strike Hawaii. The storm was aptly named, as Iniki means strong and piercing wind in . 1992, Hurricane Iniki: This was the most devastating hurricane to ever strike Hawaii. More common are stripped trees sprouting new growth, or dead ones with a fast-rising understory once more cloaking the mountains in green. 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. It hit on Sept. 11, 1992 the strongest storm in modern Hawaii history. Of the nearly 22,000 residents on the island at the time, almost all experienced some kind of damage to their property. Check Six - 1992: Hurricane Iniki Response. It made us appreciate the facilities, services and amenities we had taken for granted running water and hot showers, for example. On Thursday, Sept. 10, his coaches were preparing the team to play Kapaa High School the next night. There were places on the south shore that were inundated, houses were knocked off their foundations and vehicles were gone. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. 2018 Islamic Center of Cleveland. 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. The county wants to impose a $750-a-month camping fee to clear parks of squatters before tourists return. 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. On a Saffir-Simpson Scale, a category 4 is 130-156 mph. The hurricane wreaked havoc on the islands electrical and phone systems as well. Many Kauaians already are forced to hold more than one job because of the high cost of living. 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 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 . Take, for example, the state of hotels on Kauai after Hurricane Iniki, which inflicted $1.6 billion in damage on Sept. 11, 1992. The good news in the short run is that much of Kauai will be rebuilt in the next year. (Murray Close/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images), Scene from Jurassic Park 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. 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. Shayda Marciel, a former cashier at the Sheraton, has worked as a security guard at the wounded resort since the storm and, until a week ago, her family lived in a tent in their roofless living room. Photo: [David Rudawitz, N6QXQ, a Red Cross volunteer from Anaheim, California, supervises damage assessment at Poipu Beach. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. On September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai, causing over $3 billion in damage and six deaths. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Did you encounter any technical issues? . Thirty years ago, Hurricane Iniki ravaged the Island of Kauai, destroying more than 1,400 homes and leaving behind $3 billion in damage. Similar to Hurricane Andrew, which struck Florida only a couple of weeks before, there are few signs still around today from the 1992 storm. LIHUE, Hawaii - The island of Kauai is known for its untouched, natural beauty, but 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. A NOAA summary of the storm lays out the devastation Iniki caused, particularly for Kauai but also for nearby Oahu. Storm waves from Hurricane Iniki crashed into banks near hotels in Honolulu on the island of Oahu in Hawaii in 1992. Dennis Fujimoto / AP 1982, Hurricane Iwa : This storm caused severe property damage and one death. (Photo copyright NOAA NWS) Storm surge from Hurricane Flossie in 2007 ran up Punaluu black sand beach. Parts of the state had no electricity for weeks, and thousands of people were displaced from their homes. FEMA News Photo Photo by FEMA News Photo. Here are photos from the storm and its aftermath. It was the second and final named hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii since Hurricane Dot in 1959. ". 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. Neighbors shared tarps, stoves, lanterns, showers, water or anything else they could pool. HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - At 8 a.m. on Sept. 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki reached its peak intensity and was headed straight for Kauai. That disturbs Octavia Nakamura, who organized and represents the campers at Niumalu Beach Park near Lihue. CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM, Coco Palms Resort, photographed from Kuhio Highway on Thursday, never reopened after Hurricane Iniki destroyed it. Hurricane Iniki Chickens. 6 Hurricane Iniki Premium High Res Photos Browse 6 hurricane iniki stock photos and images available, or search for hurricane ingrid to find more great stock photos and pictures. (Photo copyright NOAA NWS), This is a false-color satellite image of the Poip area, showing the ocean, coastline, and agricultural fields. Kapaas Kuhio Highway and Kauwila Street now. Kauai remains the most verdant island in the Hawaiian chain. . Hawaiian landfalling hurricanes are historically pretty rare. So much insurance money has been paid out on Kauai that Hawaii's insurance companies say they're essentially going under and issuing no more policies, a plan that has temporarily halted the real-estate and mortgage markets. A photo of a Kauai business building struck by Hurricane Iniki in 1992. MEMORIES OF the costliest and most powerful storm on record to strike Hawaii will forever be seared in the minds of the two mayors, one who was leading at the time and the other who experienced the devastation through the eyes of a teenager. Lessons of Iniki. Local officials reported that 12,000 people were accommodated in public shelters after the storm, according to a 1993 government report. That was the spirit that told me were going to do it. 9/01/1992 Nearly the entire roof has been blown off this multi-story apartment building during Hurricane Iniki. 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. Hurricane Iniki was packing 140 mph winds went it made landfall on Kauai. The next day Yukimura manned her post as Category 4 Hurricane Iniki stormed the Garden Island roughly between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. From a window inside the county building, she watched the roof fly off the Big Save shopping center across the street. (Photo copyright NOAA). Enjoy this free story! If there is such a thing as a "proper" disaster, Iniki was probably it. "At first you're depressed," he said. On September 11, 1992, the small but intense system came out of the south in the central Pacific and traveled directly over the island. More than 2,000 houses were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. Landslides on the steep and spectacular Na Pali coast to the north may also take a long time to repair, he warned. More than 100 people were injured. I found that non-native trees had a 2-3 times the chance of falling down than did the native trees. ", 'THIS IS IT': 30-YEAR-OLD AUDIO RECOUNTS FAMILY'S FEAR AS HURRICANE ANDREW SHREDDED THEIR HOME. In 2015, Hawaii faced three Category 4 hurricanes at the same time . LIHUE, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Twenty years ago, Hurricane Iniki roared across our islands. "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. PHOTOS: 28 years ago, Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai, Former Mililani High athletic director indicted, '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. Islamic Center of Cleveland is a non-profit organization. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Activate your Digital Account now. Fifteen years on, you'd think the rebuilding had all been completed . "You realize that in a year it will be back like it was," he said. Zephyr Insurance is the leading provider of residential hurricane coverage in Hawaii. Iniki was accompanied by storm tides ranging from 4.5 to 6.3 feet above normal, with 20 to 35 foot storm waves. Adjusted for inflation, Dot's damage figure nears US$50 million. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Even all these years later, Iniki remains the most powerful hurricane to hit the state in modern history. redistributed. Browse 3 hurricane_iniki stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Next to him was his daughter, Jenn. On Sept. 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki scoured . While many areas of virgin jungle persist, it is becoming rarer. 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. The Shido Building, which is now painted red and marked circa 1923, still stands and is visible in the background. Showing results for hurricane iniki. The Steven Spielberg production crew filming the movie "Jurassic Park" was trapped by the hurricane at the Westin Kauai and rode out the storm in the ballroom with other guests. Travelers who return now. Storm surge, an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm. Photos from the Coco Palms Tour. The next day Hurricane Iniki took a sharp turn north and barreled into Kauai, causing the deaths of seven people and over $1.8 billion in damage. This time officials are insisting rebuilders include hurricane clips to hold down roofs, plus other precautions. Thirty years ago, Hurricane Iniki ravaged the Island of Kauai, destroying more than 1,400 homes and leaving behind $3 billion in damage. Read the full story with our Print & Digital Subscription. Figure 1: High resolution infrared image of Hurricane Iniki making landfall on Kauai at 3:15 PM HST on 11 September 1992. Hurricane Iniki was a small, but very intense hurricane; classified as a minimum category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Ten years after Hurricane Iwa, a Category 1 storm, ravaged the island, Kauai was decimated again. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Without a plethora of media sources, many tourists on the island didn't know about the impending disaster, including a man named Steven Spielberg. "Running, running all over the place, making sure everything was running smoothly," said Colburn. It was not until Yukimura saw the Koloa Mill that she finally got her bearings. During the scene when a storm hits the imaginary island, waves are splashing upon the rocks and the shore as John Hammond, the CEO and creator of Jurassic Park, called for the evacuation of the dinosaur tour. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai, causing 2.4 billion dollars in damage. In all, Hurricane Inikis $3 billion in damage made it one of the costliest storms in American history at the time. 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. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. You're reading a premium story. 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. But she also was heartened by the people she saw clearing their yards and repairing their roofs, and even some who waved at the helicopter. Iwa was the very last hurricane of the 1982 season, forming in November and costing the state $312 million of damage. On Sept. 11, 1992, roaring 145-mile-per-hour winds gusting up to 225 miles per hour slammed the Garden Island. The Poipu Beach area on the south shore, blasted by Hurricane Iwa on Nov. 23, 1982, was ravaged even worse this time. Yukimura was in office when the Category 4 storm hit the island on Sept. 11, 1992. Yukimura is the first mayor to be elected on Kauai who has expressed some skepticism of development, winning on her third try. This photo shows one of the 1,500 homes damaged by Hurricane Iniki on Kauai on September 11, 1992. 1982 - Hurricane Iwa: Hurricane Iwa was a category one hurricane was the most damaging, to date, to hit Hawaii. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai, causing 2.4 billion dollars in damage. Waves 25 feet high caused the worst damage. Should Douglas do so, it will be only the third storm in modern history, the last two being Hurricane Dot in 1959 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992. tjc west campus catalog 2021. It hit on Sept. 11, 1992 the strongest storm in modern Hawaii history. That event may not be far away. #7-500 Cars crushed by utility poles were a common sight in Lihue the morning after Iniki passed through Kauai. Even now, 26 years later, it remains the most costly and powerful hurricane to strike the Hawaiian islands, according to NOAA. 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. County leaders say it took about a decade for the island to completely recover. It's been two decades since Sept. 11, 1992, that cataclysmic day when Hurricane Iniki devastated Kauai with widespread flooding, storm surge and 145 mph winds . The warning sirens started blaring early that morning and the hours before impact were chaotic. blow that came with Iniki. The more ominous long-term worry is whether hurricane fears will keep tourists away. He misses not seeing the typical sunbathers outside his windows each day. Meanwhile, 30-foot waves and a 6-foot storm surge pounded the island's south shore, destroying more than 60 beachfront homes and seriously damaging all of the coastal hotels and condos. Local officials reported that 12,000. The latest proposal is still alive after a Utah company bought the property for $22 million in a foreclosure auction last year, with plans to knock down the old structure and build a 350-room resort. Siemens Chicago Headquarters, Those restaurants still open are crowded with construction workers - some from the Seattle area - instead of tourists. The eye of the storm passed directly over Kauai, causing catastrophic damage. "Downstairs, the restaurant was flooded all the way up to the ceiling," said Gordines. Hurricanes cause widespread and extensive damage from high winds, dangerous surf, and flooding. All rights reserved. It was adesignated shelter, and about 1,200 people took refuge from the hurricane there. Hurricane Iniki was by far the strongest and most destructive. Only four hurricanes have impacted the islands since 1950. Early in the day on November 19, it had organized into a tropical storm but later that same . 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. With the extent of damage . After two bad hurricanes, he said, the state shouldn't allow rebuilding on Poipu within 100 yards of the beach. Iniki was the second bad storm in a decade and the fourth in living memory of some islanders. Some 4,000 others sustained serious damage. 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. Yeah, there were sections of roof that had lost their tile, but the sections where we were occupying were in pretty good shape and housed us pretty well," said Nakaya. A few hours before it made landfall, Iniki had sustained winds of 145 mph and gusts of 185 mph, making it a Category 4 hurricane, just 10 mph under the sustained wind speed that would classify. First it was Hurricane Iniki in 1992. "Actually it was pretty good. The storm caused over $1.8 billion in damages, 1,400 destroyed homes and resulted in six deaths. Photo Credit-Wikimedia Commons-Public Domain. Hurricane Iniki made landfall in Hawaii on September 11, 1992. With climate change elevating storm concerns, it doesnt seem very wise to rebuild in the exact same spot, Kawakami said. But he can take his surfboard out into a near-empty cove now. For their part, aid workers who have come to Kauai return the islanders' praise. Yet she made a trip to Japan recently to promote tourism recovery. . PHOTOS: The aftermath of Hurricane Iniki. The department also tells us that, "In its wake, Iniki left a path of destruction expected to approach 1.8 billion dollars. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. All (Photo copyright NOAA NWS). Following Hurricane Iniki in 1992 (estimated $3 billion in damage), insurance companies refused to sell . Fleeson said he bid the job by studying aerial photographs of the ravaged unit published in the San Francisco Chronicle. LIHUE, KAUAI (HawaiiNewsNow) - Twenty years ago, Hurricane Iniki roared across our islands. The hurricane impacted filming of Jurassic Park and caused significant damage in Hawaii. (Murray Close/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images), Jurassic Park falls. Kawakami said hes saddened by the 30-year plight of the Coco Palms, considering its illustrious past as one of Hawaiis premier resorts. Another house with a roof of blue tiles appeared to have come apart like it was built out of Legos.. . Still, "It is remarkable how fast nature recovers from these things," he said. Iniki was the deadliest and by far the costliest hurricane to ever strike Hawaii. Request more information about UH Hilo, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Title IX institution and a campus of the University of Hawaii system. Popular Poipu restaurant Brennecke's Beach Broiler survived, but took a beating. The storm devastated the island, causing millions of dollars in damage, killing six, and injuring more than 100. It knocked down thousands of utility poles, cutting off power. It took the utility more than two months to restore the grid to all neighborhoods, but some families still spent the holidays in the dark. At the time, Kauai had a population of just over 51,000 people. It was a small but intense hurricane which was classified as a minimal category Four on the Saffir-Simpson scale. At least three people died, vegetation was stripped bare, more than 14,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, and most of the more than 100 resorts, hotels and condominums were knocked out of business by winds that averaged 145 mph. A Navy instrument on a 1,500-foot-high ridge recorded a gust of 227 mph before it was swept away. "We were able to establish our communications and control activities pretty nicely there.". In 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai, causing 2.4 billion dollars in damage. A different kind of repair job is going on in the natural world. Hurricane Iniki was packing 140 mph winds went it made landfall on Kauai. Watch video of Hurricane Estelle damage to Puna in 1986. Nicholas Barretto on Twitter: "Hurricane Iniki was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded to strike . The storm devastated the island, causing millions of dollars in damage, killing six, and injuring more than 100. On the morning of Sept. 11, the warning sirens blared early and his father woke him up to tell him he had to go to work to help people buy provisions for the storm, expected to arrive that afternoon. He said the coordination between local and federal agencies was a "textbook" disaster response. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Kauai is the wettest and lushest of the Hawaiian islands, and the ecosystem is showing its resilience. That suggestion is unlikely to be taken seriously. Charles Fletcher, a coastal marine geologist at the University of Hawaii, questions the wisdom of that. And he looked at me so strangely. Such mutual aid was typical. Storm surge from Hurricane Flossie in 2007 ran up Punaluu black sand beach. Parts of the state had no electricity for weeks, and thousands of people were displaced from their homes. "Not to mention the island and when tourism didn't . Roads and utilities have been almost completely restored despite the snapping of more than 5,000 poles. 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. In shortest supply are building materials and good contractors. A Homeowner's Guide to Hurricane Retrofit . TODAY, THERE arent a lot of visual reminders of Hurricane Iniki on Kauai with one rather large exception: the Coco Palms Resort. Until the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, Iniki was the thrd most destructive hurricane in U. S. history and the most destructive to hit the Hawaiian Islands in the 20th Century. More than 2,000 houses were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. Hawaii Hurricane Devastates Kauai Iniki Blamed For 3 Deaths, Scores of Injuries By Al Kamen . Hurricane Iniki caused more than $3 billion in damages - an amount that would be around $6 billion today due to inflation. Print subscriber but without online access? He wondered whether his friends and family were still alive and concluded, This island is never going to get fixed.. Just two years ago, heavy rains triggered landslides that cut off entire communities on Kauai's north shore for . Saturday, September 26, 1992 iSIctin FROM PAGE ONE . 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. Photo: NOAA. Hawaiian landfalling hurricanes are historically pretty rare. . 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. 2. Kauaians remain remarkably cheerful. Farthest South Australia City, Hurricane Florence. Other islands, however, have seen bookings surge since Iniki caused Kauai visitors to switch to other resorts. Annually, between four and five tropical [] like Iniki, to cause extensive damage to any island. 500 Ala Moana Blvd. The massive Category 4 storm damaged or destroyed 90% of the islands homes and buildings. Kawakami was a courtesy clerk at the store, and he specifically remembers the anguish and concern on the faces of the folks who lined up to get in to shop that day. She sees no choice but to rebuild next to the ocean. The eye of the storm passed directly over Kauai, causing catastrophic damage. Storm surge produced widespread flooding along the coastline. mayport naval station zip code The most notable storm was Hurricane Iniki. The arduous cleanup and rebuilding would go on for years, with one Poipu hotel not reopening for 16 years. The main shopping center is crowded with Christmas shoppers and Santa Claus decorations and Christmas trees appear all over the island. Iniki caused $3.1 billion in damage, making it the 2nd costliest Pacific hurricane on record. Reid, representative for the Westin Kauai, and her contractor husband, Michael, built their house with, among other things, the proper clips and hurricane glass.