Posted on: Tuesday, August 17, 2004

EDITORIAL
Florida's hurricane a reminder for Hawai'i

Residents of Kaua'i and O'ahu's Leeward Coast are no doubt reading accounts of the devastation brought to Florida by Hurricane Charley this week with extra attention.

They know firsthand the damage, disruption and dizzying sense of loss a hurricane can bring.

And it is also a good bet that many of those folks are better prepared than most for the next hurricane. They know what one of these storms can do and they know what becomes important in the storm's wake.

They have something to teach all of us, because the plain fact is that sooner or later Hawai'i will experience another hurricane. It is a matter of when, not if.

Nothing can be done to prevent a storm from hitting. But as the residents of Florida are learning, there is much that can be done to lessen the immediate and after-storm impact of a hurricane.

One of the themes emerging from Florida in the wake of Hurricane Charley is the numbers of people left without basic food, water and shelter after the storm.

Advice on how to prepare for a storm is fairly standard. There is a good list in the telephone book, and any civil defense office can help you determine what you need and what you should have on hand in the case of a hurricane, tsunami or other natural emergency.

The list begins with enough food and water to get you through several days, a full tank of gasoline for your car and a copy of important household papers.

No one can count on being perfectly safe, perfectly secure in the face of a hurricane. But as the people of Florida are learning, there is much that can be done to keep a bad situation from becoming worse.