One-Dimensional Hurricane Inundation Modeling for Coastal Evacuation Preparedness in Hawaii

We are lucky in Hawaii because hurricane-strength tropical storms are very infrequent events, however when they do occur the damage potential, including loss of life, can be very high. Because we are an island, and the storm approach can be highly variable and difficult to accurately predict ahead of time, virtually the entire island shoreline has an equal chance of a direct strike by hurricane strength waves. Coastal evacuation takes time, State Civil Defense and the Police Department estimates a minimum of three hours to evacuate, thus planning ahead to identify the hazard zone and develop an evacuation strategy can help reduce risks. Sea Engineering, Inc. has conducted hypothetical hurricane inundation studies for the islands of Oahu and Kauai to identify large scale coastal inundation limits for hurricane evacuation planning by Civil Defense agencies. The analysis methodology uses standard coastal engineering techniques and methodology to assess the deepwater wind and wave fields, the nearshore breaker heights and water level rise, and the wave runup and inundation resulting from hypothetical scenario hurricanes which could occur in the Hawaiian Islands.