If you live in Hawaii, the time to start prepping has likely already passed. That is, at least, when it comes to preparing for the impending threat of Hurricane Lane. As of this morning, meteorologists at CNN are telling us a few things.
This is still a category 4 hurricane, it’s just a few hundred miles south of the big island and the amount of rainfall expected could easily exceed 15-20 inches!
They also pointed out that only two hurricanes have made landfill in Hawaii since 1959, Hurricane Dot in 1959 and Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
The following is a direct quote from CNN’s website that describes how much devastation the last Hurricane to hit Hawaii caused.
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- The damage: The storm caused $3 billion in damage. Red Cross estimated that 14,350 homes on Kauai were damaged or destroyed. (It remains the most costly and powerful hurricane to strike the Hawaiian islands, according to NOAA.)
- The victims: Six people died in incidents connected to the storm. More than 100 people were injured.
- Power out for weeks: The hurricane wreaked havoc on the island’s electrical and phone systems as well. Four weeks after the storm, only 20% of the power had been restored, NOAA said.
The Most Common Excuse for Not Prepping
When I talk to people about emergency preparedness, the most common excuse they have for not being prepared is that they believe these types of natural disasters don’t happen where they live.
My reply to them is that they most certainly can happen where they live! Many of the good people of Hawaii were probably thinking the same thing because it has been 26 years since it did happen to them.
The Brutal Reality of Prepping
No matter how vigilant you happen to be about preparing for emergencies, I believe that each time we’re faced with an impending natural disaster, all preppers feel a sense of urgency to get our ducks in a row and prepare more and even re-evaluate our current disaster survival plans.
Our family is no exception. It’s so easy to be focused on prepping during a time like this but the very sad truth is that Hurricane Lane will come and go and after a few months, those who weren’t immediately impacted will let it become a distant memory. One that isn’t thought about much.
But soon enough, we’ll be faced with another threat and the cycle will continue. I have to admit that as I watch the news and pray for those who will be impacted by this hurricane in Hawaii, I’m sitting here feeling like our family isn’t nearly as prepared as we should be.
If you too are feeling this way, you can do one of three things. You can take action and start becoming more prepared, you can worry, or or you can put put the thought of prepping into the back of your mind and hope nothing bad ever happens to you or your family.
I hope you’ll choose the first option and continue to prep. If you haven’t yet started, it’s my hope that this article will inspire you to start. Please don’t wait until it’s too late.
