NINE HURRICANE MYTHS DEBUNKED Coronavirus or no, this is still hurricane season in Hawaii. Is your building prepared?
8 BUILDING MANAGEMENT HAWAII | JULY 2020
W
ith most eyes in Hawaii focused on the threat of COVID-19 in recent months, many people missed the start of hurricane season on June 1. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Central Pacific Hurricane Center and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, divisions of the National Weather Service, there is a 75% chance of near-or below-normal tropical cyclone activity during the Central Pacific hurricane season this year. The outlook also indicates a 25% chance of an above-normal season. What that means is that between two to six tropical cyclones are predicted for the Central Pacific hurricane region this year. This number includes tropical depressions, named storms and hurricanes. A near-normal season has four or five tropical cyclones. But the most salient statistic is this: It only takes one. Despite much news coverage in seasons past, many myths persist. Here we debunk nine of them. Hurricane Myth #9: Only coastal areas are at risk from hurricanes. While the drama of a hurricane crashing into a coastal area makes compelling front-page news, the effects are felt far inland. In fact, strong winds, heavy rain, tornadoes and inland flooding can spread hundreds of miles from the coast, leaving extensive damage and death in their wake. The effects of Tropical Storm Allison on the city of Houston, far removed from where the storm made landfall, were estimated at $4.8 billion. Hurricane Myth #8: A storm surge is the deadliest part of a hurricane. A storm surge is a wall of water pushed ashore as the center of a hurricane moves on land. While a storm surge can be deadly, more people die from inland flooding and flash floods of rivers and streams because they underesti-
