| Abstract: |
Hurricane Iniki, that hit the island of Kauai on September 11th, 1992, was the
strongest hurricane that hit the Hawaiian Islands in recorded history, and the
one that wrought the most damage, estimated at 7.4 billion (in 2008 US$). We
provide an assessment of Hawaii’s vulnerability to disasters using a framework
developed for small islands. In addition, we provide an analysis of the ex
post impact of Iniki on the economy of Kauai. Using indicators such as visitor
arrivals and agricultural production, we show that Kauai’s economy only
returned to pre-Iniki levels 7-8 years after the storm. Today, it has yet to
recover in terms of population growth. As an island state, Hawaii is
particularly susceptible to the occurrence of disasters. Even more worrying,
Hawaii’s dependence on tourism, narrow export base, high level of imports and
relatively small agricultural sector make Hawaii much more likely to struggle
to recover in the aftermath. By thoroughly learning from Kauai’s experience
and the state’s vulnerabilities, we hope we can better prepare for likely
future disaster events. |