Hurricane manual
out for boaters

But, unlike the folks living in Florida and the Atlantic seaboard, it is predicted the Eastern Pacific, including Hawaii, will have a quiet one.

Nevertheless, from now through November, there is a chance for a tropical cyclonic storm of some sort to bring destruction to our islands.

And while there are ample instructions for hurricane preparedness in our phone books, as well as from utility companies like HECO, they don't always address the special concerns of boat owners.

For anyone who keeps their boat at any of our state's Small Boat Harbors -- in or out of the water -- the threat of a hurricane is more than its torrential rains and high winds. There is also the destructive power of its storm surge.

As a hurricane roars over the ocean, it pushes a great mass of water before it, which when it meets land, creates a surge of water many feet greater than our normal 2- or 3-foot tides.

Such a surge can quickly inundate dry storage facilities, stress marina moorings to the breaking point and put millions of dollars of boats at risk.

And, in the wake of last year's four hurricanes that hit Florida, it was demonstrated that boaters could be held liable for damages their vessels inflicted on the property of others if they didn't take all necessary and prudent measures to secure them.

Due to these special issues facing boaters, the state, in conjunction with the University of Hawaii's Sea Grant Program, developed a Hawaii boater's hurricane safety manual and has made it available for free at all state Harbor Masters' offices.

Boaters will find a wealth of information within the manual's 32 pages, ranging from why they should be concerned about such a storm to how to make plans for its eventuality to how to weather the storm and what to do afterward.

The state's manual points out that the planning needed to survive a hurricane should begin before the warning sirens begin wailing.

Personal action plans must be created, so the manual provides boat owners with a simple two-page worksheet where all the needed information can be filled in.

It is then recommended that copies of this action plan be left with anyone who could take responsibility for the vessel on its owner's behalf.

Because it has been 13 years since Hurricane Iniki made its direct hit on Kauai, most of our state's population has surely grown complacent to the dangers of these storms. But, as any meteorologist will tell you, it's only a matter of time before another one will strike.

The question for boaters then becomes, "What have I done to protect and take responsibility for my floating assets?"

With the help of the Hawaii boater's hurricane safety manual, they can do everything possible.