Do you really need hurricane insurance in Hawaii?
Hurricane Insurance - FEMA's Incorrect Classification of Hawaii
A base homeowner's policy insures your home in the event of fire and a list of perils described as the “extended coverage endorsement”. Extended coverage covers in the event of windstorm, hail, explosion, civil commotion, etc. Almost all extended coverage endorsements will include coverage for hurricanes, unless, the home is in a hurricane-prone area.
Lets first cover the difference between damage caused by a windstorm and damage from a hurricane. The only difference is hurricane damage occurs during an official hurricane watch or warning. If you lived in an area that wasn't a hurricane-prone area you would not need a separate policy to just cover hurricanes.
Do you live in a hurricane-prone area?
Lets examine the facts. FEMA decided arbitrarily to classify all of Hawaii together using these two definitions:
Source: http://www.fema.gov/library/file?typ...0-000bdba87d5b
Notice how all of the State of Hawaii was tacked on like an after-thought. In other parts of the U.S. Only coastlines experiencing high winds or other areas of high winds was designated. Recently, FEMA coined a new term called a “Hurricane Susceptible Region.” They define this as follows:
Again the entire State of Hawaii is tacked on like an after-thought. This is not exactly pono.
Until FEMA came out with the new term “Hurricane Susceptible Region” Hawaii was the only State in the US to be designated from end to end front to back a “Hurricane-Prone Region”. Florida residents joined Hawaii under the new definition and are now both lumped together as “Hurricane-Susceptible”. FEMA's change required a whole lot more people in Florida to get hurricane insurance.
Insurance companies buy something called reinsurance. This means they insure themselves in case there is a big demand. Reinsurance is a commodity sold on the open market. It makes no difference to the open market where the homes are. The market looks only at the rating given by FEMA. With so many more people in Florida now requiring insurance, the demand for reinsurance rose. The risk of reinsurance has also risen owing to recent expensive hurricanes. The net result is insurance firms found it very expensive to buy reinsurance.
The expense was passed on to Hawaii residents. When Hawaii residents opened up their insurance bills and suddenly found huge hurricane increases, few figured out the main reason was they were grouped together with a very hurricane prone Florida.
What does Prone and Susceptible Mean?
According to the on-line Merriam Webster dictionary:
Therefore, it follows by FEMA's own logic, that if property owners in Hawaii can show there is a less than 1% base chance they will be effected by a hurricane, their property should be removed from a hurricane prone or susceptible region.
What is the evidence of Hurricanes in Hawaii?
Disclaimer: Nothing in this post should be taken as a recommendation for you to stop your own hurricane policy. It is up to you to review and judge evidence and determine your own risk. Also never cancel hurricane insurance if your lender is requiring it. It is a long road to fight your lender that simply will point at FEMA and say if they think you are in a hurricane prone area then you must be.
Based on initial feed back for this plan, one thing became clear. Those that want you to buy hurricane insurance will claim that no amount of evidence you provide is enough. It is in their interest that you buy hurricane insurance and so they will always have a reason to claim your case has no merit. To a degree it is like claiming cigarettes are harmful to your health. The tobacco industry always had their studies and claims.
Before you search for the evidence you should also realize that most lenders don't care if you are struggling to pay hurricane insurance. If they, in their own mind, think their investment is secure one tiny bit more, they will make you pay.
Look carefully at each part of the Wind-Borne Debris Region definition.
The best data that could be found on the internet for this plan was used to create this table. Judge for yourself what areas appear to be prone or susceptible to high winds and/or hurricanes.
City, Values of highest recorded gust in top 4 months over 37 year period
Hilo, Hawaii Island 55, 51, 47, 45 MPH
Honolulu, Oahu 51, 51, 48, 47 MPH
Lihue, Kauai 115, 66, 60, 59 MPH
Caspar, Wyoming 81, 78, 68, 67 MPH
Billings, Montana 85, 71, 71, 70 MPH
Miami, Florida 170, 150, 145, 138 MPH (Period is over 100 years)
Key West, Florida 140, 130, 130, 125 MPH(Period is over 124 years)
Sources:
Western Regional Climate Center http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/
Hurricane City HURRICANECITY,Atlantic hurricane tracking,hurricane models and live hurricane coverage ,based in Delray beach,Florida
Which Hawaiian city comes close to qualifying with FEMA's definition of a Wind-Borne Debris Region? Does it look to you like there is a 99% chance that some cities in the chart above are not likely to face high winds in a given year? Now before residents tranquil Hilo go running around with facts, remember you will get shouted down if you bring them to people that want to make you buy insurance.
History of Hawaii an Hurricanes
Hurricanes Dot (1959), Iwa (1982), and Iniki (1992) hit the island of Kauai. Each caused serious damage. Without a doubt the island of Kauai is prone and susceptible, whether all areas are subject to damage may be debatable.
For any damage on Oahu and Maui, you have to look back to 1986. Estelle produced some flood damage owing to good size waves that impacted ocean-front homes. However, flood and hurricane insurance are two separate forms of insurance. Therefore, unless there was also wind damage, homeowners would not have received any insurance payout from their hurricane insurance carriers.
For any “measurable” damage on Oahu, you need to look all the way back to 1957. Hurricane Nina passed by far out at sea and caused a mere $771,000 in today's dollars. That is less than the cost of two homes. Peak winds at Honolulu airport were listed as being “record breaking”. Most sites only seemed to want to make readers think how dramatic the winds were. It took some searching, however, record breaking was only 82 MPH. The figure 82 MPH was not listed in the table above since it was before the 37 year sample used to make the table. Records go back only so far. However, it is pretty safe to conclude that based on these reports, Honolulu hasn't recorded any winds over 82 MPH for the past 100 years. Look back up at the table of winds now and see how 82 MPH compares to Florida cities and look again at FEMA's designation.
By the way, some estimates list hurricane Andrew's damage at $53,000,000,000. Other recent Florida hurricanes also reach in the billions of dollars. So how anyone can describe Nina's damage as measurable is debatable.
FEMA's budget depends on running around and telling everyone the sky is falling. So it isn't surprising that FEMA isn't a good source for objective data about hurricanes. There is however, another US organization that spilled the beans. The USGS in their report state Oahu has not suffered a direct hit by a hurricane in its history. The same is true for other islands with the exception of Kauai.
Reference: http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2761/sections/1_Intro.pdf
In summary only Kauai has suffered any recordable history that would justify FEMA's designations. While a hurricane or two may have gone past other islands far out at sea, the only significant damage they wrought was flooding damage. Flooding damage isn't covered by hurricane insurance.
Lets look again now at how FEMA allows homeowners to get out of the classification as being in a flood area. Homes must have less than a 1% chance of being damaged in 1 year. Hawaii's history shows, with the exception of Kauai, far less than 1% of the homes were damaged over the past 100 years. That means in any given year, there is less than a 0.01% chance of suffering damage.
Now with that in mind look again at all the old houses in Hilo that have some how managed to survive despite being built with single wall construction, and no hurricane clips.
Theory of Hawaii Island's Protection From Hurricanes
This section is only included in the plan as a possible theory. There seems to be something protecting some islands and not others. You are encouraged to not focus on theories as people get bogged down in debates. Focus on what is important, and what is important is getting FEMA to recognize all of Hawaii isn't hurricane prone. Remind who ever wants to debate you, you will still have hurricane coverage if one occurs, only now it will become part of your base insurance policy instead of a separate one.
One good thing in your favor, is all the data has already been collected by the weather departments and US Government agencies,
Disclaimer: The following is only a theory to account for the facts and history of hurricanes in Hawaii. It was not devised by supercomputers and not reviewed by a panel of experts with PhD's. It should not be used as the basis to make any decision about your own hurricane insurance options.
Data sources included:
List of U.S. states by elevation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Climate of Hawaii
Avoid the Trap
One trap to be aware of is FEMA and the government in general loves to do studies, debate, make coffee, go on field trips and spend money to evaluate facts that are plain as day. Politicians also tend to be weak before tenured bureaucrats and at best come back with vague commitments to study issues. FEMA certainly doesn't want to give in to giving up on the chance to send 20 select people from Washington for a trip to Hawaii the next time a hurricane like Flossie appears on the horizon. They all most have had a blast on their last trip to Hawaii. A few probably even ventured up to enjoy the snow on Mauna Kea. Do you think a single FEMA employee mentioned it seemed odd that yet again another hurricane managed to die magically at the foot of Hawaii's defenders? Of course not. They certainly had a much nicer time in Hawaii so why scratch it off their list and reduce their own budget?
One thing lacking in FEMA's assessments by the way are the positives of hurricanes. All of that snow meant one big celebration for residents. Many went up to the slopes and brought down pickup trucks filled with snow for snowball fights or to build snowmen in front of their tropical homes. Residents on the West side finally had some decent wind to go windsurfing. It is true some residents grumbled. In particular Flossie seems to have interrupted regular trade winds and almost all the moisture during its death fell high up on the slopes. Some areas that depend on rain didn't receive a drop of rain for several days as a consequence of Flossie's approach.
Disclaimer: Hard evidence and history is what needs to be focused upon. Theory is just fun to debate and wastes time since people love to debate back. Further, nothing here should be taken as advice to stop buying hurricane insurance. It is up to you to do your own research. Absolutely do not discontinue hurricane insurance if required to buy it by your lender. You are certainly free to discuss all you want with them, however, it is 99% likely they will simply point to FEMA as ample justification.
Recent Evidence Demonstrating Hawaii Island's Protection
You only need to look at the pictures of the snow on the volcanoes after hurricane Flossie came close, to see how the heat was removed. You can also view this video in the link below to watch the jet stream rip large sections of the hurricane and carry it away. The large white streaks forming to the East as Flossie are clouds that developed when the moist warm air condensed into clouds high up in the jet stream.
YouTube - ‪Hurricane Flossie Updated‬‏
Or how about poor Felicia?
Hurricane Felicia had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph Thursday, but forecasters predicted the storm, which is heading toward Hawaii, would weaken in the Pacific later in the day.
The Category 4 storm's reduction in intensity was expected to come as it moved over cooler waters, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
Felicia could reach Hawaii on Tuesday morning, according to forecast tracks, but by that time storm will have weakened to a tropical depression with winds of about 35 mph.
Source: Hurricane Felicia strengthens, heads toward Hawaii - CNN
Only 35 MPH? Oh Felicia what a disappointment, from 140 MPH down to only 35 MPH. That is barely enough wind to justify going sailing.
How about looking at every recorded "hurricane" that tried to get near?
It may seem from the list below that there are lot more hurricanes trying to hit Hawaii. However, satellites didn't begin tracking hurricanes till relatively recently. People in Hawaii didn't realize in the past that a rain shower they were getting was from a hurricane that died down upon approach.
Reference: List of Hawaii hurricanes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1843 A cyclone found at sea was thought to be on a course for Hawaii Island, however, “Whether it even came close to Hawaii is unknown at this point.”
August 1871 A newsletter described a storm, however, “Damage is unrecorded.” (If the damage was substantial wouldn't it have been recorded?)
November 1874: A possible tropical cyclone may have dropped over 20 inches (508 mm) of rain on Honolulu and southerly gales destroyed 23 homes, and damaging at least 50. (An effort was made to get more details on this storm. A website on Hawaii History.org makes no mention of a storm in this year, but did find it noteworthy that “Dillingham & Company receives first typewriter in the Islands.”
The New York Times printed several articles on Hawaii in 1874 and 1875 and a search of their website could not find any mention of this storm. Therefore, whatever damage occurred doesn't seem noteworthy enough to have reached there either.
In 1874 homes were not built as robust as they are today and the amount of rain that fell may mean that a good portion of the homes were damaged by flooding. No mention is found of businesses or buildings interrupted by this storm. US Census figures for Hawaii only go back to 1900. However, we can use the fact that the 1900 population was 58,504 residents, to confirm that there were a lot more homes in Honolulu than the ones mentioned as being destroyed or damaged. The percentage of homes that rode out the storm, despite 1874 construction standards, was very high.
So given:
….......Homes were built to 1874 standards.
….......The storm wasn't noteworthy to make the New York Times.
….......There was no mention of buildings or business loss.
….......Flooding must have been high with 20” of rain.
….......The great majority of homes received no damage at all.
Therefore, the storm did not arrive with winds in excess of 100 mph. If winds were anywhere near 100 mph damages would have been far higher.
December 1902–January 1903 Cyclone Froc. “No records of unusual weather were recorded.”
October 1906: A tropical cyclone passed about 60 miles (97 km) south of South Point on Hawaii Island. (Heavy rains were mentioned but winds don't appear to have been noteworthy.)
November 1906: This cyclone must have been abnormally small or very weak, because climatological records show no unusual rainfall, wind, surge, or low pressure. (Why is this one on the list?)
August 1925: “High seas and gusty winds were recorded in Hawaiʻi from a nearby tropical cyclone.” (This report listed no damage.)
1938 “A possible tropical cyclone produced heavy wind and rain in the state”. (This report listed no damage.)
July 1957: Hurricane Kanoa, after taking a long journey across the eastern Pacific, became a non-tropical circulation a few miles east of Hawaiʻi. The remnants of Kanoa brought welcomed rain.
July 1971: Hurricane Denise dissipated before reaching Hawaiʻi, but brought beneficial rain of over one inch to dry farms and sugar plantations.
August 1972: Hurricane Diana dissipated a few miles off shore of the Big Island, dropping over 10 inches of rain in some parts. (10 inches? That's it? The author of this report recorded more than 10 inches in a Kona storm in 2001.)
September 1972: Hurricane Fernanda may have caused a flash flood near Waipio as it passed to the northeast. (Again flooding not covered by hurricane insurance.)
July 1978: Hurricane Fico created 15 foot (4.6 m) waves, felled trees and knocked out power across the island state. (Notice no real reports of any measurable damages to homes. Further this year is in the 37 year of record data so winds didn't exceed threshold.)
July 1982: Hurricane Daniel passed through the islands as a tropical depression, causing little, if any, damage.
August 1991: Hurricane Fefa dissipated shortly before landfall. Two people were injured by lightning. Locally strong winds occurred, with wind gusts reaching 58 mph (93 km/h) at some localities, mainly over Hawaiʻi and Maui. (Another dissipated hurricane. Winds of only 58 mph don't come close to FEMA threshold.)
July 1992: Hurricane Georgette brought locally squally winds over the state as a depression. Several large waterspouts were sighted off Hapuna Beach in the South Kohala district. (Yet another hurricane turned into a depression. But at least she had some waterspouts to look at. The author of this report watched 5 waterspouts while sailing his boat around Singapore area. None came from hurricanes.)
September 1992: Hurricane Orlene struck Hawaii as a tropical depression. (Anyone see a pattern yet. Hurricane ----> Depression?)
July 1993: Hurricane Eugene dropped appreciated rain on the state as it dissipated.
August 1993: Hurricane Fernanda brought heavy surf … but no mention of winds.
July 1994: Hurricane Daniel dumped 5 inches of rain. (Would Hilo residents notice a rain shower this light?)
July 1994: Hurricane Emilia caused damage to trees and foliage while passing south of Hawaiʻi. (The trees don't seem to have been knocked over, just a few leaves blown off. Also what is damage to foliage?)
August 1999: Hurricane Dora caused minor wind gusts of up to 58 mph (93 km/h) on the southern part of Big Island as it passed south of Hawaiʻi . (58 mph is a light breeze compared to what insurance companies want you to believe will happen.)
August 2003: Hurricane Jimena brought up to 10 inches (254 mm) of rain as it passed Big Island. A gust of 53 mph (85 km/h) kt was recorded at South Point. (Big deal. So bring in the garden umbrella.)
August 2004: The remnants of Hurricane Darby passed over the islands. (Remnants, dissipated, depressions, disappointments.)
September 2005: Hurricane Jova Rain. (More rain no winds.)
September 2005: The remnants of Hurricane Kenneth brought locally heavy rainfall. (More remnants.)
August 2008: The remnants of Hurricane Hernan brought moisture. (Wow!)
October 2009: Hurricane Neki When Neki was a massive storm swirling over the Pacific Ocean, roughly 640 nautical miles (1,180 kilometers) west-southwest of the big island of Hawaii, it had an eye 50 km across and wind gusts of 136 mph. One website described it has a hurricane that “struck” the State of Hawaii. However, another site states Neki passed through the Papahānaumokuākea National Monument near French Frigate Shoals on October 23, by which time it had weakened to a tropical storm.
Source: Hurricane Neki : Natural Hazards
Source: 2009 Pacific hurricane season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 2009 Hurricane Guillermo at landfall was a dissipating depression delivering a little rain with it's last final gasp.
Source: 2009 Pacific hurricane season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why does it seem no one has told me about this before?
In this case it is probably best to answer a question with a question. Who is going to tell you?
Insurance companies won't tell you. They want to sell you policies.
Lenders won't tell you. They like their investments to be more secure even if it hurts you.
FEMA won't tell you. They are in the business of making risk seem big.
People in Florida won't tell you. The more low risk homes in the pool the cheaper for them.
People in Kauai won't tell you. The same reason.
People that are forced to buy it won't tell you. The same reason.
People that elect to buy won't tell you. They are convinced they need it.
Politicians won't tell you. They worry about what if that tiny chance comes true and they are wrong.
Researches won't tell you. The same reason.
TV and news won't tell you. The same reason.
Only a person forced to buy hurricane insurance against his better judgment who has the wherewithal to do research and spend time writing this article will tell you. Apparently there are few of us.
Who forces you to buy hurricane insurance?
Lenders do. Lenders cannot sell to the secondary market unless their loans conform to standards, and some standards require the insurance. Fannie Mae's requirement is listed below. HUD, FHA, and Freddie Mac underwriter guidelines (UWG) are similar.
All banks and credit unions require a property to be “adequately” insured. What adequately means appears to be subject to change at whim. Even though FEMA's designated “prone” region was listed for years, some lenders didn't go back to borrowers and demand hurricane insurance till after loans were closed. They then pointed to FEMA's designations as if they were something new they never heard of till after you obtained your mortgage. What started all this appears to be when entire State of Florida which wasn't in the first group “prone” was added to the second group “susceptible”.
(Note: Apologies if this is confusing and you need to start at the beginning. This topic isn't easy to explain.)
Fannie Mae Policy Regarding Hurricane Insurance
Fannie Mae policy states:
Fannie Mae does not accept hazard insurance policies that limit or exclude damage from windstorm, hurricane, hail, or any other perils that are normally included under an extended coverage endorsement.
You should advise borrowers that if their hazard insurance includes such limitations or exclusions, they must obtain a separate policy or endorsement.
https://www.efanniemae.com/lc/sir/to...e_Coverage.htm
Banks and Credit Unions May Require Hurricane Insurance
Portfolio lenders have greater flexibility to consider what is and isn't an acceptable risk and what is a sound practice. However, you simply just can't sit back and complain to your friends and post things on public forums. You need to help build a strong case, research, and go in and demonstrate the reasons it should be possible for you to elect to decline the coverage.
Why is this important?
You may be just one person, however, this issue effects every person. It effects the value of your house, your insurance bill, the price of your food, and the price you pay for a meal at a restaurant. If everyone, with the exception of Kauai, is paying for insurance they don't need, all those bills directly translate into your cost of living.
Many are forced to buy insurance against their will and better judgment. Even people that obtained mortgages that didn't initially require insurance, found their lenders coming back long after closing demanding that they now take it out.
Imagine you are trying to sell real estate in Hawaii. If a typical hurricane policy costs just $450, this means a buyer can afford to pay $7,000 less. If buyers can afford less, fewer homes are sold and homes must be sold at lower prices.
Further, future possible residents of Hawaii look at Hawaii's high hurricane costs that are coupled to Florida's. Retirees are less likely to buy in Hawaii when looking at that hurricane bill. Without these retirees home prices will continue to sag. This applies all the way up to the multi-million dollar homes.
Money spent on hurricane insurance leaves the State of Hawaii. Hurricane insurance savings would stay in Hawaii where it would be recycled again and again to boost the economy and hence home values again.
Reference: Yahoo Real Estate Calculator: How much house can I afford.
Federal construction standards require more expensive construction in areas that are prone to hurricanes. This means it costs more to build facilities for residents.
So what should I do?
You and I cannot move Washington alone. It will take thousands of us objecting to being incorrectly listed as a hurricane-prone area. If we can move FEMA to redraw the hurricane map, your BASE policy would policy would provide protection. You could drop a special separate policy.
Therefore, think of anyone with a voice. A voice that can collectively help shout all the way to Washington where FEMA sits and pretends your island is as dangerous as Florida.
Forward them a link to this blog, ask them their opinion. Phone your real estate friend, ask if not needing insurance would boost your home value.
Phone your insurance agent, ask if they could offer a policy where hurricanes are covered in the base policy to homeowners that do not live in hurricane prone areas. You may need to call a mainland agent that heard of areas that are not prone.
Phone your lender, ask whether borrowers with hurricane coverage in the base policy can stop paying for a special policy.
Phone that relative that moved to the mainland, ask if a lower cost of living would help them come back home.
E-mail a link to this page and ask others for input.
The FEMA and Hurricane Insurance Company Challenge
If your job depends on making Hawaii residents think they live in a hurricane-prone area, produce evidence. Demonstrate 110 mph + winds that hit here on a regular basis. Demonstrate wind damage during a hurricane watch or warning that justifies continued special policies. Explain why it snows in Hawaii.
Another very strong flaw in FEMA's argument to keep all of Hawaii in a hurricane-prone/susceptible area is FEMA's apparent intentional failure to include other areas that have had a history of hurricanes. Specifically, California has been struck by hurricanes and there has been recorded damages that according to very rough estimates would amount to over $500,000,000 if one were to hit again.
I've been researching cities like San Diego with its history of direct hurricane hits, and finding resident baffled by my question if they are buying special hurricane insurance. The sum answer appears to be no.
I'm not suggesting that San Diego be added to the list of areas that must begin buying special hurricane policies just because they received a direct hit over 100 years ago. Rather I am shouting...why do we pay when we have never been hit and have clear evidence of hurricane resistance.
Closing
Recall the words FEMA selected and now compare them with the facts and evidence presented:
Is all of Hawaii lumped with Florida because the people of Hawaii are prone and susceptible?
Philip Maise
Pahoa Hawaii
You may reference what I say here, however, use my name and town.
Example: Philip Maise of Pahoa Hawaii, states in his blog that "........."
A base homeowner's policy insures your home in the event of fire and a list of perils described as the “extended coverage endorsement”. Extended coverage covers in the event of windstorm, hail, explosion, civil commotion, etc. Almost all extended coverage endorsements will include coverage for hurricanes, unless, the home is in a hurricane-prone area.
Lets first cover the difference between damage caused by a windstorm and damage from a hurricane. The only difference is hurricane damage occurs during an official hurricane watch or warning. If you lived in an area that wasn't a hurricane-prone area you would not need a separate policy to just cover hurricanes.
Do you live in a hurricane-prone area?
Lets examine the facts. FEMA decided arbitrarily to classify all of Hawaii together using these two definitions:
Hurricane-prone regions. Areas vulnerable to hurricanes; in the United States and its territories de*fined as: The U.S. Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts, where the basic wind speed is greater than 90 miles per hour. Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
Wind-borne debris regions. Areas within hurricane-prone regions located: Within 1 mile of the coastal mean high water line, where the basic wind speed is equal to or greater than 110 mph, and in Hawaii; or in areas where the basic wind speed is equal to or greater than 120 mph.
Basic wind speed. A 3-second gust speed at 33 feet above the ground in Exposure C. (Exposure C is flat open terrain with scattered obstructions having heights generally less than 30 feet.) Note: Since 1995, ASCE 7 has used a 3-second peak gust measuring time. A 3-second peak gust is the maximum instantaneous speed with a duration of approximately 3 seconds. A 3-second peak gust speed could be associated with a given windstorm (e.g., a particular storm could have a 40-mph peak gust speed), or a 3-second peak gust speed could be associated with a design-level event (e.g., the basic wind speed prescribed in ASCE 7).
Source: http://www.fema.gov/library/file?typ...0-000bdba87d5b
Notice how all of the State of Hawaii was tacked on like an after-thought. In other parts of the U.S. Only coastlines experiencing high winds or other areas of high winds was designated. Recently, FEMA coined a new term called a “Hurricane Susceptible Region.” They define this as follows:
Hurricane Susceptible Region: Southern US coastline from Gulf Coast of Texas eastward to include entire state of Florida. East Coastline from Maine to Florida, including all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Washington DC. All of Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.Source: FEMA: Wind Zones in the United State
Again the entire State of Hawaii is tacked on like an after-thought. This is not exactly pono.
Until FEMA came out with the new term “Hurricane Susceptible Region” Hawaii was the only State in the US to be designated from end to end front to back a “Hurricane-Prone Region”. Florida residents joined Hawaii under the new definition and are now both lumped together as “Hurricane-Susceptible”. FEMA's change required a whole lot more people in Florida to get hurricane insurance.
Insurance companies buy something called reinsurance. This means they insure themselves in case there is a big demand. Reinsurance is a commodity sold on the open market. It makes no difference to the open market where the homes are. The market looks only at the rating given by FEMA. With so many more people in Florida now requiring insurance, the demand for reinsurance rose. The risk of reinsurance has also risen owing to recent expensive hurricanes. The net result is insurance firms found it very expensive to buy reinsurance.
The expense was passed on to Hawaii residents. When Hawaii residents opened up their insurance bills and suddenly found huge hurricane increases, few figured out the main reason was they were grouped together with a very hurricane prone Florida.
What does Prone and Susceptible Mean?
According to the on-line Merriam Webster dictionary:
Prone: having a tendency or inclination.
Susceptible: open, subject, or unresistant to some stimulus, influenceThe argument made in Washington is not made based on facts. It is based on their logic:
Hurricanes have damage some homes in the Pacific, your home is in the Pacific, so your home is susceptible to hurricane damage too.Lets first examine FEMA's logic in a slightly different way. Is this sentence logical?
Rivers flood and damage some homes, your home is near a river, so your home is susceptible to flooding.If FEMA used this logic for flood zones there would be an uproar. Homeowners would pound down their door and shout, “What are you talking about? I live on a hill and have never been flooded.” To avoid the uproar, FEMA created maps showing where the flood zones were. They also provided a way to contest inclusion in the map:
What are the FEMA requirements for removing a structure from the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA)?Reference: FEMA: Frequently Asked Questions
To be removed from the SFHA shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), a structure must be on land that is not subject to flooding by the base (1 percent annual chance) flood.
Therefore, it follows by FEMA's own logic, that if property owners in Hawaii can show there is a less than 1% base chance they will be effected by a hurricane, their property should be removed from a hurricane prone or susceptible region.
What is the evidence of Hurricanes in Hawaii?
Disclaimer: Nothing in this post should be taken as a recommendation for you to stop your own hurricane policy. It is up to you to review and judge evidence and determine your own risk. Also never cancel hurricane insurance if your lender is requiring it. It is a long road to fight your lender that simply will point at FEMA and say if they think you are in a hurricane prone area then you must be.
Based on initial feed back for this plan, one thing became clear. Those that want you to buy hurricane insurance will claim that no amount of evidence you provide is enough. It is in their interest that you buy hurricane insurance and so they will always have a reason to claim your case has no merit. To a degree it is like claiming cigarettes are harmful to your health. The tobacco industry always had their studies and claims.
Before you search for the evidence you should also realize that most lenders don't care if you are struggling to pay hurricane insurance. If they, in their own mind, think their investment is secure one tiny bit more, they will make you pay.
Look carefully at each part of the Wind-Borne Debris Region definition.
WIND BORNE DEBRIS REGION. Areas within hurricane-prone regions within one mile of the coastal mean high water line where the basic wind speed is 110 miles per hour (177 km/h) or greater; or where the basic wind speed is equal to or greater than 120 miles per hour (193 km/h); or Hawaii.
The best data that could be found on the internet for this plan was used to create this table. Judge for yourself what areas appear to be prone or susceptible to high winds and/or hurricanes.
City, Values of highest recorded gust in top 4 months over 37 year period
Hilo, Hawaii Island 55, 51, 47, 45 MPH
Honolulu, Oahu 51, 51, 48, 47 MPH
Lihue, Kauai 115, 66, 60, 59 MPH
Caspar, Wyoming 81, 78, 68, 67 MPH
Billings, Montana 85, 71, 71, 70 MPH
Miami, Florida 170, 150, 145, 138 MPH (Period is over 100 years)
Key West, Florida 140, 130, 130, 125 MPH(Period is over 124 years)
Sources:
Western Regional Climate Center http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/
Hurricane City HURRICANECITY,Atlantic hurricane tracking,hurricane models and live hurricane coverage ,based in Delray beach,Florida
Which Hawaiian city comes close to qualifying with FEMA's definition of a Wind-Borne Debris Region? Does it look to you like there is a 99% chance that some cities in the chart above are not likely to face high winds in a given year? Now before residents tranquil Hilo go running around with facts, remember you will get shouted down if you bring them to people that want to make you buy insurance.
History of Hawaii an Hurricanes
Hurricanes Dot (1959), Iwa (1982), and Iniki (1992) hit the island of Kauai. Each caused serious damage. Without a doubt the island of Kauai is prone and susceptible, whether all areas are subject to damage may be debatable.
For any damage on Oahu and Maui, you have to look back to 1986. Estelle produced some flood damage owing to good size waves that impacted ocean-front homes. However, flood and hurricane insurance are two separate forms of insurance. Therefore, unless there was also wind damage, homeowners would not have received any insurance payout from their hurricane insurance carriers.
For any “measurable” damage on Oahu, you need to look all the way back to 1957. Hurricane Nina passed by far out at sea and caused a mere $771,000 in today's dollars. That is less than the cost of two homes. Peak winds at Honolulu airport were listed as being “record breaking”. Most sites only seemed to want to make readers think how dramatic the winds were. It took some searching, however, record breaking was only 82 MPH. The figure 82 MPH was not listed in the table above since it was before the 37 year sample used to make the table. Records go back only so far. However, it is pretty safe to conclude that based on these reports, Honolulu hasn't recorded any winds over 82 MPH for the past 100 years. Look back up at the table of winds now and see how 82 MPH compares to Florida cities and look again at FEMA's designation.
By the way, some estimates list hurricane Andrew's damage at $53,000,000,000. Other recent Florida hurricanes also reach in the billions of dollars. So how anyone can describe Nina's damage as measurable is debatable.
FEMA's budget depends on running around and telling everyone the sky is falling. So it isn't surprising that FEMA isn't a good source for objective data about hurricanes. There is however, another US organization that spilled the beans. The USGS in their report state Oahu has not suffered a direct hit by a hurricane in its history. The same is true for other islands with the exception of Kauai.
Reference: http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2761/sections/1_Intro.pdf
In summary only Kauai has suffered any recordable history that would justify FEMA's designations. While a hurricane or two may have gone past other islands far out at sea, the only significant damage they wrought was flooding damage. Flooding damage isn't covered by hurricane insurance.
Lets look again now at how FEMA allows homeowners to get out of the classification as being in a flood area. Homes must have less than a 1% chance of being damaged in 1 year. Hawaii's history shows, with the exception of Kauai, far less than 1% of the homes were damaged over the past 100 years. That means in any given year, there is less than a 0.01% chance of suffering damage.
Now with that in mind look again at all the old houses in Hilo that have some how managed to survive despite being built with single wall construction, and no hurricane clips.
Theory of Hawaii Island's Protection From Hurricanes
This section is only included in the plan as a possible theory. There seems to be something protecting some islands and not others. You are encouraged to not focus on theories as people get bogged down in debates. Focus on what is important, and what is important is getting FEMA to recognize all of Hawaii isn't hurricane prone. Remind who ever wants to debate you, you will still have hurricane coverage if one occurs, only now it will become part of your base insurance policy instead of a separate one.
One good thing in your favor, is all the data has already been collected by the weather departments and US Government agencies,
Disclaimer: The following is only a theory to account for the facts and history of hurricanes in Hawaii. It was not devised by supercomputers and not reviewed by a panel of experts with PhD's. It should not be used as the basis to make any decision about your own hurricane insurance options.
- Heat taken from warm waters fuels hurricanes.
- Taking away energy from a hurricane will reduce it's strength or kill it completely.
- When you go up, each 1000 feet of elevation equates to a temperature decrease of roughly 3.5 degrees F. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa rise over 13,000 ft and are cold masses of rock. Snows occur on these slopes between 9,000 feet and the summits.
- The net surface area is huge since much of the surface is loose a'a flows. This means a very large area to quickly contact with any air.
- Hurricanes need heat. The volcanoes are sitting waiting to absorb heat.
- Hurricanes may be big, however, the most dangerous winds are near the center. This means the early outer winds of a hurricane contact the cold volcanoes long before the center arrives.
- The warm moist air condenses into snow, heat is taken from the hurricane, and the hurricane grows weaker the more it approaches. Hurricanes contain an enormous amount of energy. However, the volcanoes are huge heat sinks and snow can be piled higher and higher.
- Further, the volcanoes are tall enough to deflect much of the hurricane's winds high into the air. Once a hurricane's winds get pushed too high aloft, another defender from high above comes into play. That defender is the jet stream. One only needs to look at the photographic and video evidence of what happened to hurricane Flossie to see this effect in action.
- This is like a one/two punch that cools and rips a hurricane apart. The volcanoes have won every time. Before the high winds near the core of a hurricane can get close, the volcanoes have reduced it to nothing more than a “tropical storm”. A tropical storm isn't a hurricane and is covered by base insurance.
- Another player that most not be forgotten is Haleakala on Maui. This volcano is so close to Hawaii Island's that the three of them together should really be considered like a wall of defenders. Haleakala may only rise about 10,000 feet, however, that is also adequate enough to change moisture into snow. It too will sap a hurricane and has the advantage that its too big siblings took the first swipe.
- Hurricanes follow regular paths. This means islands that are close enough and behind the line of defenders are also protected. Oahu has little protection intrinsic protection from a hurricane, however, is close enough behind Hawaii Island and Maui to be in its wind shadow. Long term Honolulu residents will be the first to confirm winds from Hawaii Island can come right into the downtown area. After hurricane winds pass by Hawaii Island they are cooler and drier.
- The net result on Oahu is they only get to watch hurricanes being destroyed by the front line of defense or experience the effect of a hurricane passing by far out at sea.
- Ah, #13 on the bullet list was reserved for Kauai. Kauai is susceptible to hurricanes. There are potentially three reasons. It is the farthest from Hawaii Island and Maui so the three big defenders offer it little shelter. Kauai has its own “peaks” but they may just be high enough to attract a hurricane closer, but not tall enough to generate any snow. Finally, Kauai is fairly small especially compared to Hawaii Island.
Data sources included:
List of U.S. states by elevation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Climate of Hawaii
Avoid the Trap
One trap to be aware of is FEMA and the government in general loves to do studies, debate, make coffee, go on field trips and spend money to evaluate facts that are plain as day. Politicians also tend to be weak before tenured bureaucrats and at best come back with vague commitments to study issues. FEMA certainly doesn't want to give in to giving up on the chance to send 20 select people from Washington for a trip to Hawaii the next time a hurricane like Flossie appears on the horizon. They all most have had a blast on their last trip to Hawaii. A few probably even ventured up to enjoy the snow on Mauna Kea. Do you think a single FEMA employee mentioned it seemed odd that yet again another hurricane managed to die magically at the foot of Hawaii's defenders? Of course not. They certainly had a much nicer time in Hawaii so why scratch it off their list and reduce their own budget?
One thing lacking in FEMA's assessments by the way are the positives of hurricanes. All of that snow meant one big celebration for residents. Many went up to the slopes and brought down pickup trucks filled with snow for snowball fights or to build snowmen in front of their tropical homes. Residents on the West side finally had some decent wind to go windsurfing. It is true some residents grumbled. In particular Flossie seems to have interrupted regular trade winds and almost all the moisture during its death fell high up on the slopes. Some areas that depend on rain didn't receive a drop of rain for several days as a consequence of Flossie's approach.
Disclaimer: Hard evidence and history is what needs to be focused upon. Theory is just fun to debate and wastes time since people love to debate back. Further, nothing here should be taken as advice to stop buying hurricane insurance. It is up to you to do your own research. Absolutely do not discontinue hurricane insurance if required to buy it by your lender. You are certainly free to discuss all you want with them, however, it is 99% likely they will simply point to FEMA as ample justification.
Recent Evidence Demonstrating Hawaii Island's Protection
You only need to look at the pictures of the snow on the volcanoes after hurricane Flossie came close, to see how the heat was removed. You can also view this video in the link below to watch the jet stream rip large sections of the hurricane and carry it away. The large white streaks forming to the East as Flossie are clouds that developed when the moist warm air condensed into clouds high up in the jet stream.
YouTube - ‪Hurricane Flossie Updated‬‏
Or how about poor Felicia?
Hurricane Felicia had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph Thursday, but forecasters predicted the storm, which is heading toward Hawaii, would weaken in the Pacific later in the day.
The Category 4 storm's reduction in intensity was expected to come as it moved over cooler waters, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
Felicia could reach Hawaii on Tuesday morning, according to forecast tracks, but by that time storm will have weakened to a tropical depression with winds of about 35 mph.
Source: Hurricane Felicia strengthens, heads toward Hawaii - CNN
Only 35 MPH? Oh Felicia what a disappointment, from 140 MPH down to only 35 MPH. That is barely enough wind to justify going sailing.
How about looking at every recorded "hurricane" that tried to get near?
It may seem from the list below that there are lot more hurricanes trying to hit Hawaii. However, satellites didn't begin tracking hurricanes till relatively recently. People in Hawaii didn't realize in the past that a rain shower they were getting was from a hurricane that died down upon approach.
Reference: List of Hawaii hurricanes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1843 A cyclone found at sea was thought to be on a course for Hawaii Island, however, “Whether it even came close to Hawaii is unknown at this point.”
August 1871 A newsletter described a storm, however, “Damage is unrecorded.” (If the damage was substantial wouldn't it have been recorded?)
November 1874: A possible tropical cyclone may have dropped over 20 inches (508 mm) of rain on Honolulu and southerly gales destroyed 23 homes, and damaging at least 50. (An effort was made to get more details on this storm. A website on Hawaii History.org makes no mention of a storm in this year, but did find it noteworthy that “Dillingham & Company receives first typewriter in the Islands.”
The New York Times printed several articles on Hawaii in 1874 and 1875 and a search of their website could not find any mention of this storm. Therefore, whatever damage occurred doesn't seem noteworthy enough to have reached there either.
In 1874 homes were not built as robust as they are today and the amount of rain that fell may mean that a good portion of the homes were damaged by flooding. No mention is found of businesses or buildings interrupted by this storm. US Census figures for Hawaii only go back to 1900. However, we can use the fact that the 1900 population was 58,504 residents, to confirm that there were a lot more homes in Honolulu than the ones mentioned as being destroyed or damaged. The percentage of homes that rode out the storm, despite 1874 construction standards, was very high.
So given:
….......Homes were built to 1874 standards.
….......The storm wasn't noteworthy to make the New York Times.
….......There was no mention of buildings or business loss.
….......Flooding must have been high with 20” of rain.
….......The great majority of homes received no damage at all.
Therefore, the storm did not arrive with winds in excess of 100 mph. If winds were anywhere near 100 mph damages would have been far higher.
December 1902–January 1903 Cyclone Froc. “No records of unusual weather were recorded.”
October 1906: A tropical cyclone passed about 60 miles (97 km) south of South Point on Hawaii Island. (Heavy rains were mentioned but winds don't appear to have been noteworthy.)
November 1906: This cyclone must have been abnormally small or very weak, because climatological records show no unusual rainfall, wind, surge, or low pressure. (Why is this one on the list?)
August 1925: “High seas and gusty winds were recorded in Hawaiʻi from a nearby tropical cyclone.” (This report listed no damage.)
1938 “A possible tropical cyclone produced heavy wind and rain in the state”. (This report listed no damage.)
July 1957: Hurricane Kanoa, after taking a long journey across the eastern Pacific, became a non-tropical circulation a few miles east of Hawaiʻi. The remnants of Kanoa brought welcomed rain.
July 1971: Hurricane Denise dissipated before reaching Hawaiʻi, but brought beneficial rain of over one inch to dry farms and sugar plantations.
August 1972: Hurricane Diana dissipated a few miles off shore of the Big Island, dropping over 10 inches of rain in some parts. (10 inches? That's it? The author of this report recorded more than 10 inches in a Kona storm in 2001.)
September 1972: Hurricane Fernanda may have caused a flash flood near Waipio as it passed to the northeast. (Again flooding not covered by hurricane insurance.)
July 1978: Hurricane Fico created 15 foot (4.6 m) waves, felled trees and knocked out power across the island state. (Notice no real reports of any measurable damages to homes. Further this year is in the 37 year of record data so winds didn't exceed threshold.)
July 1982: Hurricane Daniel passed through the islands as a tropical depression, causing little, if any, damage.
August 1991: Hurricane Fefa dissipated shortly before landfall. Two people were injured by lightning. Locally strong winds occurred, with wind gusts reaching 58 mph (93 km/h) at some localities, mainly over Hawaiʻi and Maui. (Another dissipated hurricane. Winds of only 58 mph don't come close to FEMA threshold.)
July 1992: Hurricane Georgette brought locally squally winds over the state as a depression. Several large waterspouts were sighted off Hapuna Beach in the South Kohala district. (Yet another hurricane turned into a depression. But at least she had some waterspouts to look at. The author of this report watched 5 waterspouts while sailing his boat around Singapore area. None came from hurricanes.)
September 1992: Hurricane Orlene struck Hawaii as a tropical depression. (Anyone see a pattern yet. Hurricane ----> Depression?)
July 1993: Hurricane Eugene dropped appreciated rain on the state as it dissipated.
August 1993: Hurricane Fernanda brought heavy surf … but no mention of winds.
July 1994: Hurricane Daniel dumped 5 inches of rain. (Would Hilo residents notice a rain shower this light?)
July 1994: Hurricane Emilia caused damage to trees and foliage while passing south of Hawaiʻi. (The trees don't seem to have been knocked over, just a few leaves blown off. Also what is damage to foliage?)
August 1999: Hurricane Dora caused minor wind gusts of up to 58 mph (93 km/h) on the southern part of Big Island as it passed south of Hawaiʻi . (58 mph is a light breeze compared to what insurance companies want you to believe will happen.)
August 2003: Hurricane Jimena brought up to 10 inches (254 mm) of rain as it passed Big Island. A gust of 53 mph (85 km/h) kt was recorded at South Point. (Big deal. So bring in the garden umbrella.)
August 2004: The remnants of Hurricane Darby passed over the islands. (Remnants, dissipated, depressions, disappointments.)
September 2005: Hurricane Jova Rain. (More rain no winds.)
September 2005: The remnants of Hurricane Kenneth brought locally heavy rainfall. (More remnants.)
August 2008: The remnants of Hurricane Hernan brought moisture. (Wow!)
October 2009: Hurricane Neki When Neki was a massive storm swirling over the Pacific Ocean, roughly 640 nautical miles (1,180 kilometers) west-southwest of the big island of Hawaii, it had an eye 50 km across and wind gusts of 136 mph. One website described it has a hurricane that “struck” the State of Hawaii. However, another site states Neki passed through the Papahānaumokuākea National Monument near French Frigate Shoals on October 23, by which time it had weakened to a tropical storm.
Source: Hurricane Neki : Natural Hazards
Source: 2009 Pacific hurricane season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 2009 Hurricane Guillermo at landfall was a dissipating depression delivering a little rain with it's last final gasp.
Source: 2009 Pacific hurricane season - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Why does it seem no one has told me about this before?
In this case it is probably best to answer a question with a question. Who is going to tell you?
Insurance companies won't tell you. They want to sell you policies.
Lenders won't tell you. They like their investments to be more secure even if it hurts you.
FEMA won't tell you. They are in the business of making risk seem big.
People in Florida won't tell you. The more low risk homes in the pool the cheaper for them.
People in Kauai won't tell you. The same reason.
People that are forced to buy it won't tell you. The same reason.
People that elect to buy won't tell you. They are convinced they need it.
Politicians won't tell you. They worry about what if that tiny chance comes true and they are wrong.
Researches won't tell you. The same reason.
TV and news won't tell you. The same reason.
Only a person forced to buy hurricane insurance against his better judgment who has the wherewithal to do research and spend time writing this article will tell you. Apparently there are few of us.
Who forces you to buy hurricane insurance?
Lenders do. Lenders cannot sell to the secondary market unless their loans conform to standards, and some standards require the insurance. Fannie Mae's requirement is listed below. HUD, FHA, and Freddie Mac underwriter guidelines (UWG) are similar.
All banks and credit unions require a property to be “adequately” insured. What adequately means appears to be subject to change at whim. Even though FEMA's designated “prone” region was listed for years, some lenders didn't go back to borrowers and demand hurricane insurance till after loans were closed. They then pointed to FEMA's designations as if they were something new they never heard of till after you obtained your mortgage. What started all this appears to be when entire State of Florida which wasn't in the first group “prone” was added to the second group “susceptible”.
(Note: Apologies if this is confusing and you need to start at the beginning. This topic isn't easy to explain.)
Fannie Mae Policy Regarding Hurricane Insurance
Fannie Mae policy states:
Fannie Mae does not accept hazard insurance policies that limit or exclude damage from windstorm, hurricane, hail, or any other perils that are normally included under an extended coverage endorsement.
You should advise borrowers that if their hazard insurance includes such limitations or exclusions, they must obtain a separate policy or endorsement.
https://www.efanniemae.com/lc/sir/to...e_Coverage.htm
Banks and Credit Unions May Require Hurricane Insurance
Portfolio lenders have greater flexibility to consider what is and isn't an acceptable risk and what is a sound practice. However, you simply just can't sit back and complain to your friends and post things on public forums. You need to help build a strong case, research, and go in and demonstrate the reasons it should be possible for you to elect to decline the coverage.
Why is this important?
You may be just one person, however, this issue effects every person. It effects the value of your house, your insurance bill, the price of your food, and the price you pay for a meal at a restaurant. If everyone, with the exception of Kauai, is paying for insurance they don't need, all those bills directly translate into your cost of living.
Many are forced to buy insurance against their will and better judgment. Even people that obtained mortgages that didn't initially require insurance, found their lenders coming back long after closing demanding that they now take it out.
Imagine you are trying to sell real estate in Hawaii. If a typical hurricane policy costs just $450, this means a buyer can afford to pay $7,000 less. If buyers can afford less, fewer homes are sold and homes must be sold at lower prices.
Further, future possible residents of Hawaii look at Hawaii's high hurricane costs that are coupled to Florida's. Retirees are less likely to buy in Hawaii when looking at that hurricane bill. Without these retirees home prices will continue to sag. This applies all the way up to the multi-million dollar homes.
Money spent on hurricane insurance leaves the State of Hawaii. Hurricane insurance savings would stay in Hawaii where it would be recycled again and again to boost the economy and hence home values again.
Reference: Yahoo Real Estate Calculator: How much house can I afford.
Federal construction standards require more expensive construction in areas that are prone to hurricanes. This means it costs more to build facilities for residents.
So what should I do?
You and I cannot move Washington alone. It will take thousands of us objecting to being incorrectly listed as a hurricane-prone area. If we can move FEMA to redraw the hurricane map, your BASE policy would policy would provide protection. You could drop a special separate policy.
Therefore, think of anyone with a voice. A voice that can collectively help shout all the way to Washington where FEMA sits and pretends your island is as dangerous as Florida.
Forward them a link to this blog, ask them their opinion. Phone your real estate friend, ask if not needing insurance would boost your home value.
Phone your insurance agent, ask if they could offer a policy where hurricanes are covered in the base policy to homeowners that do not live in hurricane prone areas. You may need to call a mainland agent that heard of areas that are not prone.
Phone your lender, ask whether borrowers with hurricane coverage in the base policy can stop paying for a special policy.
Phone that relative that moved to the mainland, ask if a lower cost of living would help them come back home.
E-mail a link to this page and ask others for input.
The FEMA and Hurricane Insurance Company Challenge
If your job depends on making Hawaii residents think they live in a hurricane-prone area, produce evidence. Demonstrate 110 mph + winds that hit here on a regular basis. Demonstrate wind damage during a hurricane watch or warning that justifies continued special policies. Explain why it snows in Hawaii.
Another very strong flaw in FEMA's argument to keep all of Hawaii in a hurricane-prone/susceptible area is FEMA's apparent intentional failure to include other areas that have had a history of hurricanes. Specifically, California has been struck by hurricanes and there has been recorded damages that according to very rough estimates would amount to over $500,000,000 if one were to hit again.
I've been researching cities like San Diego with its history of direct hurricane hits, and finding resident baffled by my question if they are buying special hurricane insurance. The sum answer appears to be no.
I'm not suggesting that San Diego be added to the list of areas that must begin buying special hurricane policies just because they received a direct hit over 100 years ago. Rather I am shouting...why do we pay when we have never been hit and have clear evidence of hurricane resistance.
Closing
Recall the words FEMA selected and now compare them with the facts and evidence presented:
Prone: having a tendency or inclination.
Susceptible: open, subject, or unresistant to some stimulus, influence
Is all of Hawaii lumped with Florida because the people of Hawaii are prone and susceptible?
Philip Maise
Pahoa Hawaii
You may reference what I say here, however, use my name and town.
Example: Philip Maise of Pahoa Hawaii, states in his blog that "........."
Total Comments 1
Comments
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It has been over 12 years since I first posted this blog.
I though it deserves an update based upon the fact that some believe Hurricane Iselle damaged homes in 2014. Yes, Hurricane Iselle was indeed a hurricane...in fact it was a Cat 4 hurricane...but that was on August 4, 2014. When it eventually made landfall on the Big Island of Hawaii, it was downgraded to a moderate tropical storm.
A since a tropical storm ranges from 39-74 mph winds...a moderate tropical storm would be on the lower end. This wind speed is similar to an average Midwestern thunderstorm. Strong thunderstorms can reach closer to 100 mph.
Apparently at least one home lost its roof on Hawaii Island. However, there was no mention of the age of the home. It is highly likely it was a home along the lines as this one seen here:
https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2...off-hilo-home/
This home was built long before hurricane clips were required to help hold a roof down.
Interestingly to me...in a report about the Iselle published in the New York Times you will find this sentence:
"The volcanoes in the middle of the Big Island sapped much of the power from the storm as it moved west, Mr. Cantin said."
Mike Cantin, a meteorologist with the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
Gee, isn't that what I have been claiming?
Article at: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/u...hurricane.html
In 2018 another Cat 4 hurricane, Olivia, was also downgraded to a tropical storm when it hit Maui.
Note: If your home on Hawaii Island has big invasive trees looming over it. You likely could face home loss if even a moderate wind caused massive limbs to drop onto it.Posted 07-28-2023 at 12:49 PM by pbmaise
