Hurricane
Understanding hurricanes:
Dangers of Hurricanes – Hurricanes present several life-threatening and destructive weather hazards, including storm surge and storm tide, heavy rainfall and inland flooding, high winds, and rip currents. Find out more about these specific weather hazards and how to protect your family and your home at the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
Getting Ready for Hurricane Season – Hurricane season in Hawaiʻi runs from June through November. The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration provides an excellent overview to evaluate your preparedness for hurricane season. Click here to visit NOAA and see what you need to do before, during and after a storm.
Get informed:
Emergency Alerts & Radio Stations – Visit HIEMA’s alerts webpage – ready. hawaii.gov./alerts – to sign up for your local island emergency alert system and find out where to tune your radio if the power goes out during a hurricane or tropical storm.
Weather Forecasts – Visit the National Weather Service’s Honolulu Forecast Office webpage for a trusted, official local weather resource. They offer several tools, including Hawaiʻi’s Seven-Day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook, statewide radar and satellite imaging.
Understanding Hurricane Warnings & Weather Info – In the event of a hurricane, the National Weather Service will issue several different types of hazard alerts, storm-track models and forecast cones. This NOAA webpage lays out exactly what these alerts and tools communicate.
Prepare for hurricanes:
Know Your Zone: Understand the risks where you live. Identify a safe place with family or friends in case you need to evacuate before a storm. Use this National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Risk Map to see if you are at risk of dangerous storm surges. Choose your location on the left side of the page, and select hurricane category at the top.
Make an Emergency Kit: Food, water, medicine, first aid, battery-powered radios and lights, and extra batteries are essential items to have on hand. In Hawaiʻi, a 2-week supply of these items is recommended because of our isolated location. Don’t forget to pack for your pets, too. Visit FEMA’s website for good ideas of what to keep in your emergency kit.
Strengthen Your Home: Don’t wait for a storm to come. There are things you can do today to protect your home and property against hurricanes. Install hurricane straps to strengthen your roof, protect windows and glass doors with shutters or plywood, trim back weak tree limbs and have a place to secure lawn furniture and decorations that could be blown about by hurricane winds. Two excellent resources to use are this FEMA Property Handbook and the Hawaiʻi Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards, published by the University of Hawaiʻi.
Prepare for Power Outages: Power outages are common during hurricanes. Be prepared to spend several hours or days without power. Have a plan for how to get information, communicate, store food and medicine, cook and prepare food, illuminate your home and run medical equipment. Use this FEMA pamphlet for information on preparing for power outages and what you need to consider in anticipation of a power outage.
Visit HIEMA’s partners for more hurricane information: