David N. Sattler and Charles F. Kaiser (1994).
Hurricane Iniki: Psychological functioning following disaster. (Report No. 67).
Boulder, CO: Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center.

Overview of Study

On September 11, 1992, hurricane Iniki struck the Hawaiian island of Kauai with sustained winds of 165 miles-per-hour. Property damage was estimated to be $1.8 billion, approximately 1,400 homes were destroyed, and at least 5,000 homes were significantly damaged. Hurricane Iniki was the costliest hurricane in Hawaiian history, and it was the strongest storm to hit Hawaii this century (Rappaport & Lawrence, 1992). This study assessed the reactions of persons who survived the hurricane seven weeks after the storm. The subjects participating in the study either had severe damage to their home and were living with other families or had damage to their home but were still living in their homes. The objective was to obtain information about the subjects' psychological and psychophysiological distress, coping responses, use of mental health services, assistance received from various agencies, loss of property, and preparation for the hurricane.

The key findings are as follows.
1. Taking the hurricane warning seriously was significantly positively associated with higher education level, being married, and being older.
2. The majority of subjects were able to live in their home after the storm (81%), and 19% could not live in their home due to severe damage.
3. The participants were without electricity for an average of 21 days, and they were without running water for an average of 6 days.
4. The participants returned to work after an average of 16 days, and about one-quarter of the participants lost their job due to the storm.
5. About half of the sample was feeling easily annoyed or irritated and having headaches. About one-third of the sample was worrying too much about things, feeling low in energy, and had soreness in muscles. About one-quarter of the subjects had trouble falling asleep.
6. Psychological distress was significantly positively associated with property loss, active coping and planning, seeking social support for emotional reasons, alcohol-drug use, turning to religion, self-denigration, receiving assistance, actively rebuilding, and blaming the government; it was significantly negatively correlated with age; it was not significantly correlated with gender, marital status, income, education, acceptance, or use of humor.

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