How often have hurricanes struck Hawaii in the past?
Before 1950, windstorms that struck Hawaii were not called hurricanes. There are newspaper stories and government records that show strong wind storms have struck all islands in Hawaii since the beginning of recorded history. Since 1950 five hurricanes or tropical storms have caused serious damage in Hawaii: Hurricane Nina in 1957 produced record winds in Honolulu. Hurricane Dot did a lot of damage on Kauai in 1959. Hurricane Iwa did extensive damage on Kauai and Oahu in 1982. Hurricane Estelle produced very high surf on Hawaii and Maui and floods on Oahu in 1986. Hurricane Iniki did extensive damage on Kauai and Leeward Oahu in 1992. Since 1950, seven other tropical storms or hurricanes could have caused serious damage. These include Hurricane Fernanda in 1993 and Hurricane Emilia in 1994, the strongest to pass through our part of the Pacific What can be done to protect Hawaii’s Houses during a hurricane and minimize damage? Once the roof system is compromised, the ability of wood fra
