Kauai Weighs Legacy Of Iniki

When Kauai was hit by a major hurricane a decade ago, it took more than two years for the island's tourism industry to fully recover.

But when the lush "Garden Island" did finally rebound, it came back stronger than before.

In 1984, just two years after Hurricane Iwa carved its destructive path, an estimated 850,000 visitors - a record - came to Kauai. In 1986, $60 million went into expanding and improving the airport in Lihue and another $200 million went to rebuild the shattered hotels, replace the ravaged beaches, and replant trees.

Kauai, which followed only Oahu and Maui as the most popular draw among the Hawaiian islands, eventually generated $1 billion in revenues annually - one-tenth of the state's tourism dollars. It was especially popular among those who wanted to get away from the more heavily developed islands, including a loyal contingent from Seattle.

But in one afternoon, Hurricane Iniki put the island's tourism industry back to square one.

"As far as travel is concerned, Kauai is out of picture until early next year, and certainly to the end of this year," said Lindy Boyes, senior communications specialist for the Hawaii Visitors Bureau in Honolulu. The island will be effectively "closed" for at least 60 days.

"The infrastructure - the phones, the power lines, the roads - will not be fully restored for months," Boyes said. "It's not just a matter of cleaning up debris, it's what it takes to run a community."

All 70 of Kauai's hotels incurred some damage in the hurricane, Boyes said. In a replay of 1982, Poipu Beach, where most of the island's hotels are located, was again especially hard hit. The power at the airport was knocked out, and as of midweek only a limited number of flights were being allowed in and out of the island.

The Westin Kauai at Kauai Lagoons has been closed because of damage, a resort official announced at midweek. A reopening date has not been set, but it probably won't be until early 1993.

The Sheraton Kauai Beach Resort, virtually destroyed in 1982, had its first floor gutted by Iniki and probably will be closed until the end of the year, said spokesman Peter Jenkins. The Sheraton Princeville Hotel sustained roof damage and its marble lobby was flooded.

The storm washed out an ocean-front pool at the Hyatt Regency; Pat Cowell, regional vice president, said it could take three months to repair the damage.

At the Waiohai Hotel, a $1,300-a-night suite that until last week opened on to a white sand beach was part of the beach Monday after Iniki dumped a thick coat of sand over its luxurious fittings.

Many of the major resorts and condominiums said they would decline reservations for several months. Hyatt, Sheraton, Aston and other chains on Kauai are allowing guests to cancel Kauai reservations for refunds, or to rebook at resorts on other islands.

"We've been kind of knocked down to our knees and we're crawling up as fast as we can," said Thomas Batey, administrative assistant to Kauai Mayor JoAnn Yukimura.

The condition of some of the island's popular spots, including the lush Na Pali cliffs and the deep ravines of Waimea Canyon, remains unclear, Boyes said.

The crashing waves that flooded the ground floors of Poipu Beach's hotels, also washed out the beach, Boyes said. Officials didn't know yet whether Lumahai Beach, site of filming for "From Here to Eternity" and "South Pacific," was spared damage.

While Iniki brought back memories of Iwa, Iniki, with its 30-foot waves and 160 mph wind gusts, was much more powerful and destructive.

Iniki, estimated to have caused $1 billion damage, could cost Kauai $250 million to $500 million in lost business, said Gene Cotter of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. Iwa left $216 million in damage when it roared through in 1982. Full recovery took several years.

"Hurricane Iwa, which we thought was the worst of the worst at the time, mainly hit the southern side of Kauai," Boyes said. "This one hit all of the island. The eye of the hurricane went over Kauai and it hit on approach and departure. The island was slapped in both directions."

Stanley Hong, president of the visitors bureau, said: "From talking to those who were there both times, it seems that Iniki was much more severe, and that the devastation was more widespread. The winds were stronger and the eye of the hurricane went right over the island."

Some credit the experience with Hurricane Iwa with helping island residents and the tourism industry prepare to handle the latest disasters.

"It was a learning experience," Boyes said. "Because of the experience with Iwa a lot of things were done ahead of time, everything went more smoothly and people were moved out of areas that were hit."

The island, which has about 7,500 residents and 10,000 visitors at any given time, had only three deaths associated with the hurricane - a low figure that Hong attributes to good planning and response to the early warnings.

Although Iniki spared all the other islands, the loss of Kauai, which has 7,000 of the 75,000 hotel rooms in the entire state, is bound to have an impact on the tourist trade of the other islands, Hong said.

"Naturally we're hopeful people will continue to come to Hawaii," Hong said. "We lost 10 percent of the available rooms, but we can accommodate and pick up the slack."

The average occupancy rate for hotels in Hawaii is 85 percent leaving room for those displaced from Kauai, Hong said. Because of the recession, Hawaii has also experienced a 2.8 percent decrease in the number of tourists in the past year.

Travel officials were already working to reroute those who hold tickets to Hawaii.

Derek Cond, the director of sales and marketing for USTravel/Doug Fox Travel in Seattle, said most travelers planning to go to Kauai are opting to go to another island.

About 95 percent of the travel agencies calling Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, the U.S. largest travel company to Hawaii, for their clients are changing their client's reservations to other islands. Cancellations are at a minimum, spokesmen say.

Pleasant Hawaiian is waiving all cancellation and change fees for previously booked holidays to allow clients to reschedule their trips without penalty. It also secured additional hotel space on neighbor islands for individuals changing destinations. Travelers from the mainland as Iniki hit the islands were met by company representatives in Honolulu and directed to pre-arranged alternative accommodations.

Among airlines, United and Hawaiian seem to be the most lenient. Hawaiian allows rerouting, rescheduling or refunds on flights to Kauai through Oct. 31. United allows Kauai flights to be rescheduled through October, but ticket holders are required to go to the airline's ticket office or the airport to get their tickets reissued. Most other carriers are considering extensions. TWA has set no time limit.

Hong said it was too early to speculate about the future recovery of the island's tourism industry, which has displaced agriculture as the island's main source of money and employment.

The speed of recovery will depend in part on the federal assistance the island receives, he said.

But while the hotels and facilities may eventually be repaired, the residents of Kauai may take longer to bounce back.

"Psychologically, the local population is still rather traumatized by it all," Hong said. "This is the second one in 10 years. I'm not sure why that happens, but it has. To think about having to start rebuilding again becomes very psychologically depressing. The rest of the state will have to pitch in."

The Waiohai Hotel's general manager, Bob Hawes, told The Honolulu Advertiser that the storm couldn't have come at a worse time.

"This could kill us for years," Hawes said. "You have to understand, this isn't like Florida where people can say, `Well, there's still Disney.' This is all we've got."

But Hong was optimistic that Kauai will eventually re-emerge from its latest disaster as it did 10 years ago.

"I have absolutely no doubt that Kauai will come back stronger than ever," Hong said. "From adversity and disaster can emerge something better. Many places aren't built with good planning, and if you get the chance to start from scratch you can plan much better."