[ OUR OPINION ]
Hawaii residents should
take lesson from ill-fated
Florida
|
Forecasters have predicted that 2004 will not be a banner year for hurricanes since El Nino conditions, with warmer ocean waters that encourage storms, are mild at present. Still, there's no way to know for sure and people should be prepared for the worst.
While longtime residents are familiar with the storm drills, those who have moved into the state in the last decade may have never lived through a hurricane and might not be aware of the devastation it can bring.
People in Florida surely know. More than three-quarters of a million have been without electricity since Hurricane Frances powered through on Labor Day weekend, following hard on the heels of Charley. At least 50 people have been killed, and damage is estimated at more than $20 billion, marking Florida's worst season since 1992.
On Sept. 11 of that same year, Iniki ripped through the island chain, but it was the Garden Island that was hardest hit. Two people died, 1,200 homes were destroyed and another 11,700 were damaged. About 7,000 residents were left without shelter, and a coincident number moved off the island for lack of housing and jobs. Damage was estimated at $3 billion, $78 million of that in agricultural losses. More than 10 years passed before Kauai could say it had recovered. There are still areas and structures that remain in ruins.
Before Iniki there was Hurricane Iwa, which tore through in 1982, and Dot in 1959, but Hawaii has by and large escaped the kind of destruction Florida has seen. Still, forecasters say, it is not a matter of if, but when.
New residents and those who have forgotten or become complacent should assemble survival kits for their families that include flashlights, radios and batteries; enough nonperishable food and water to last two weeks; and first aid and medical supplies. You may not have time to gather provisions as a storm approaches, and, as happened in Florida, stores could run out of basic necessities.
Families should also make plans about where to meet in case they are separated or cannot reach home before a hurricane. Determine the location of neighborhood storm shelters, and have on hand materials needed to protect home and property.
It is unlikely Hawaii would encounter the multiple storms Florida has faced. But that's just what residents of the Sunshine State thought, too.
Clean elections drive
is a laudable effort
|
The Clean Campaigns Project hopes to fix that. The group, made up of two Democrats and two Republicans, will be on the lookout for dirty tricks and make independent judgments on candidates' claims in brochures and ads and on the Internet.
How successful the idealistic effort will be is uncertain. Once mud is slung into the public arena, it is impossible to clean up completely. And though voters say they don't like dirt, people tend to remember defamatory statements, political gurus say. That's why such tactics are effective, why some politicians use them and why political consultants make so much money thinking them up.
This doesn't mean that the group shouldn't try. Indeed, its most powerful weapon might be deterrence. If candidates know they will be condemned publicly for a smear, they might choose to keep their mouths shut.
The group will largely depend on the public to bring questionable material to its attention, although politicians may also file objections. We urge voters to support the project.
Cynics might view clean campaigns an oxymoron and the group could be taking on a difficult mission. Nonetheless, it is a worthy objective, especially if it forces candidates to talk issues instead of trash.
