POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 13, 2011 In December 2004, more than
230,000 people in Indonesia and 13 other countries lost their
lives from the Indian Ocean tsunami. In August 2005, at least
250,000 houses were damaged or destroyed in the Gulf of Mexico
from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Now we mourn the losses in
Japan from the tsunami and earthquake: 13,232 lives, with more
than 14,554 missing as of yesterday. How likely is a
catastrophic event in Hawaii and what can we do to prepare? In
1992, Hurricane Iniki struck Kauai and destroyed or damaged more
than 6,300 houses. Maui, Hawaii and Oahu have between two to
eight times more structures, so one can obtain a ball park
estimate of the damage on these islands from a similar event (up
to 50,000 structures). In late March, state Civil Defense
indicated that a major hurricane hitting Oahu is its greatest
concern and the one we most need to plan for. In Hawaii, the
National Weather Service expects a hurricane to hit one portion
of the state every 15 years. If the h