Hawaii’s hurricane season is June to November.
While we have had hurricanes nearby, oftentimes they miss us (although Lane and Iniki were especially bad). Still, people wonder how we ‘weather’ the storm (pun intended).
We are sub-tropical meaning that out weather is pretty much the same all year ’round. Near the ocean it is often 70 and night and 85 during the day but ‘plummets’ to 65 at night and 80 during the day in winter. When you hear someone from Hawaii talk about how it is freezing, it is probably in the 60’s! (We do have actual freezing and blizzards which can happen anytime during the year, but that is at the 14,000 foot elevation).
Because most of our supplies are brought here by boat from the mainland, we do have a tendency of stocking up, not just for hurricanes but for dock strikes here or on the mainland.
Electricity goes out on occasion because all of it is created on the islands and we cannot run a big power line to the mainland. We burn fuel oil, use wind water and Geo-thermal and solar.
Because the weather is warm, we do a lot of cooking outdoors. Many people have a grill or barbecue. In a pinch we could dig a hole and create an imu to cook in. Many of us have gardens, orchards and the like and easily can trade with neighbors. When I moved here I was often invited to weddings, funerals, graduations and holidays. When I wondered why, since many times I didn’t know the people, I was told ‘Because you are single and there will be food!’.
With reasonable weather, available food and friends, we weather the storms quite well.
We know that if we have to, we can power our cellphones in the car, use our tractors to clear the driveway or roads and do what we have to.
It is difficult for us to evacuate so we have to prepare and keep our whits about us.
