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could feel the skyscraper rock back and forth in the wind its not a calming feeling, trust me.
Skyscrapers are being built to rock back and forth in high winds (and earthquakes). Otherwise they would crack and collapse. That's a reason why you can't take the elevators during those storms: The cars bang at the elevator shaft walls and may bounce up & down.
Skyscrapers are being built to rock back and forth in high winds (and earthquakes). Otherwise they would crack and collapse. That's a reason why you can't take the elevators during those storms: The cars bang at the elevator shaft walls and may bounce up & down.
Oh i agree no argument, just being a small kid experiencing the swaying some 20+ stories high doesn't give you the feeling of security.
Thanksgiving day 1979. I was fishing off Kananapali Maui when a black cloud blew in from the south. Winds started to blow at lease 60 mph. Our motor died and we were forced to land the 14 foot craft on the rocks. All I remember about the storm name was, a tropical storm. Also a musician named Peter moon did an album with a satalite picture of this storm. On Maui, I worked on a flower farm in Kula. 90 mph winds hit upcountry Maui and heavy rain. At one point we had 63 inches in 3 days in Kula. Winds and waves on south and west shore blew at 90 mph and 20 foot waves in kihei took out Kamaole beaches 1 & 2. What you see today is only half of the parking lot and busches. There was 135 boats that were moored from kihei to Lahaina. All went on the beach or the ocean bottom. This storm blew from the south for 2 weeks. One lady was blew off here lanai in Olinda. She lost her life. Another man tried stabilizing his home that was on stilts and it collapsed on him. Many homes being built were blown apart. Winds blew power polls down and trees took out the remaining power lines. (no tree trimmers in those days) No power upcountry for one month and water looked like mud with wood chips in it. As the storm moved turned east of the Big Island and Maui, winds changed from the south to east. 90 mph and torrential rains now blowing from the opposite direction caused trees to bend in the saturated soil. Trees all over the island blew down. In Olinda, Piiholo road had 100 trees across the road in one quarter mile section. It took 2 weeks to reopen the road. Many local families said, this storm was the first time they saw lightning. Rain upcountry flooded many parts of Kihei. A few cars were washed to the ocean by the old Sudas store in north Kihei. On the Protea farm I worked, we had large plants blown apart. From the center out in a circular pattern. Like a small twister sat on them. As it rained, I remember seeing the most beautiful sight, as the clouds moved off Haleakala, the heavy rains filled every ravine and gulch across the mountain with water. It looked like mercury being poured over the mountain. I do know from the new at the time, Kula had 63 inches of rain in a 3 day period. As for a total rain fall in kula for the 4 weeks of storm, I would estimate as much as 15 feet of rain. This tropical storm moved in on Thanksgiving day 1979 and moved out of the Maui area, after New Years 1980.
It was a Kona Storm....
"The most powerful Kona storm in the last fifty years struck the Hawaiian islands between 8 January and 11 January 1980. The low pressure primarily responsible for the severe conditions had a barometric pressure of 975mb on January 8th, while passing north of the state, one of the lowest pressure readings ever recorded in Hawaiian waters as a result of an extratropical storm. [10] The storm caused severe weather across the entire state, forcing the closure of all airports. Rainfall from the storm was extremely heavy, surpassing twenty inches in many locations, particularly on the Big Island and Maui. High surf from the storm caused extensive damage, particularly along the Kona coast of the Big Island, where the towns of Kailua-Kona and Puako received extensive damage.[10] Winds from the storm averaged around 40-50 mph on the open ocean, but varied tremendously on land due to unique geographic features. Some areas experienced wind gusts well over hurricane force, including a low altitude gust of 106 mph (171 km/h) on Lahaina Roads, Maui. Haiku, on the windward coast of Maui, experienced a wind gust of 75 mph (121 km/h). On the high mountain summits of the Big Island and Maui, winds of over 110 mph (180 km/h) were recorded. Damage from the storm was estimated at between $25 and 35 million (in 1980 dollars).[10]"
I've searched for the history of hurricanes that have had a direct hit in Maui and just can't find one on the searches I've done. I have done many searches and have not found 1 hurricane that has had a direct hit on Maui in Hawaii. If anyone can answer for this question. In all the searches I've done in the history of Maui for a direct hit I can't find it. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could prove me wrong. We pay a bundle of money every year for protection of a hurricane to hit maui and I just don't see the need for it. Flood insurance yes, but hurricane no. Thank you for your input. Patrick
Thanksgiving day 1979. I was fishing off kaanapali Maui when a black cloud blew in from the south. Winds started to blow at lease 60 mph. Our motor died and we were forced to land the 14 foot craft on the rocks. All I remember about the storm name was, a tropical storm. Also a musician named Peter moon did an album with a satalite picture of this storm. On Maui, I worked on a flower farm in Kula. 90 mph winds hit upcountry Maui and heavy rain. At one point we had 63 inches in 3 days in Kula. Winds and waves on south and west shore blew at 90 mph and 20 foot waves in kihei took out Kamaole beaches 1 & 2. What you see today is only half of the parking lot and busches. There was 135 boats that were moored from kihei to Lahaina. All went on the beach or the ocean bottom. This storm blew from the south for 2 weeks. One lady was blew off here lanai in Olinda. She lost her life. Another man tried stabilizing his home that was on stilts and it collapsed on him. Many homes being built were blown apart. Winds blew power polls down and trees took out the remaining power lines. (no tree trimmers in those days) No power upcountry for one month and water looked like mud with wood chips in it. As the storm moved turned east of the Big Island and Maui, winds changed from the south to east. 90 mph and torrential rains now blowing from the opposite direction caused trees to bend in the saturated soil. Trees all over the island blew down. In Olinda, Piiholo road had 100 trees across the road in one quarter mile section. It took 2 weeks to reopen the road. Many local families said, this storm was the first time they saw lightning. Rain upcountry flooded many parts of Kihei. A few cars were washed to the ocean by the old Sudas store in north Kihei. On the Protea farm I worked, we had large plants blown apart. From the center out in a circular pattern. Like a small twister sat on them. As it rained, I remember seeing the most beautiful sight, as the clouds moved off Haleakala, the heavy rains filled every ravine and gulch across the mountain with water. It looked like mercury being poured over the mountain. I do know from the new at the time, Kula had 63 inches of rain in a 3 day period. As for a total rain fall in kula for the 4 weeks of storm, I would estimate as much as 15 feet of rain. This tropical storm moved in on Thanksgiving day 1979 and moved out of the Maui area, after New Years 1980. Winds of 90 mph are hurricane force, but this storm was never classified as a hurricane. My opinion ,,,,weather prediction in those days was,, not so good
Location: not sure, but there's a hell of a lot of water around here!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock H
My opinion ,,,,weather prediction in those days was,, not so good
Not many satellites, or radar. I was on Maui for the January 1980 storm, still have never seen continuous rain and wind like that in all the years I've lived here. The storm took out Kihei Road down by Sudas, power was out, and one poor fella was killed out windward side Maui, Haiku I think, when he tried to add some diagonal bracing under his house during the storm. There are still remnants of the storms powerful surf at Kamaole 1, if you look south a bit, on the point between Kamaole 1 and 2, there is a concrete slab, small one, hanging on the rocks. That USED to be the slab for an outdoor shower that was on what USED to be the lawn. The Mana Kai was fishing boulders out of their swimming pool after the storm was pau, and to this day you cannot walk all the way to Wailea on the beach. Worst thing about it all, was being stranded in Kihei, the power being out for over three days, and being forced to drink warm beer.
OpenD would not have survived
When I paddle past Keawakapu beach in the morning, and see all the relatively new mansions sitting side by side and as close to the water as they are allowed to be, I can't help but smile. Another storm like the one in 1980, and those homes are going to need bilge pumps. And the car washed out by the 'river' running by Sudas, a Mercedes Benz. It's still out there, past the old pier. That was some fun stuff, a while back, but fun none the less.
Last edited by Jungjohann; 12-09-2014 at 10:01 PM..
Was it Ewa or Iniki which flooded the parking lots of the Waikiki hotels? Someone told me about cars floating in the underground parking lots. Mostly the Volkswagens floated, I think it was. Probably was Ewa since I was on the Big Island for Iniki.
There were houses sliding down hills in the '80s storm, well, at least one, anyway, I think. And sometime in the early eighties, '82 or '83 or so, there were a lot of rains and big sink holes were showing up in Manoa valley. The ground had dried and then it rained and the dried out soil wasn't stuck together so half the road would sink down several feet or four feet of the corner of a house would sink. It was a mess, but I don't think anyone got hurt.
Was it Ewa or Iniki which flooded the parking lots of the Waikiki hotels? Someone told me about cars floating in the underground parking lots. Mostly the Volkswagens floated, I think it was. Probably was Ewa since I was on the Big Island for Iniki.
There were houses sliding down hills in the '80s storm, well, at least one, anyway, I think. And sometime in the early eighties, '82 or '83 or so, there were a lot of rains and big sink holes were showing up in Manoa valley. The ground had dried and then it rained and the dried out soil wasn't stuck together so half the road would sink down several feet or four feet of the corner of a house would sink. It was a mess, but I don't think anyone got hurt.
Yes i remember flooding was terrible especially the kaakako areas where the sewers backed up. Its times like that when you know some areas have some serious issues. Its the high flooded times that you really finally know that Honolulu has a stray cat issue.
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Tropical storm 1979/1980 Hawaii/Maui
And the car washed out by the 'river' running by Sudas, a Mercedes Benz. It's still out there, past the old pier. That was some fun stuff, a while back, but fun none the less.
