Impact
Hurricane Fico never made landfall, though a strong east-northeasterly swell from the hurricane along with a strong southerly swell from a southern hemisphere storm produced high surf along the coastline of Hawaii. Civil Defense officials reported 30-foot (9.1 m) waves well offshore. The island of Hawaii received breaking waves of 20 feet (6 m) in height, and eastern Maui reported up to 12-foot (3.7 m) waves. Southern Oahu and Kauai also reported slightly above normal waves. Several ships in and around the periphery of the hurricane received moderate winds and rough surf, one of which reported swell waves of 41 feet (12.5 m). The high seas washed a 65-foot (20 m) tugboat ashore on a reef at Kukuiula. Six people aboard a sloop off Hanalei were rescued by a Navy torpedo boat after it lost its auxiliary power and was unable to progress in the strong winds of Fico. A strong trade wind gradient, increased due to the presence of the hurricane, produced winds of over 60 mph (95 km/h) throughout the island chain. Hurricane Fico also dropped 6 inches (150 mm) of rainfall in Oahu.
Days before the hurricane passed to the south of the state, high surf from Fico caused some beach flooding in the eastern portion of the island of Hawaii. High surf later resulted in considerable damage to roads and beachfront houses along the Big Island shores. The waves destroyed a home in Puna and wrecked a beach pavilion in Kau. The mayors of three Hawaiian cities issued a disaster declaration for their cities following the damage from Fico. In Maui, moderate waves led to road flooding near the water, though no damage occurred on the island. 60 mph (95 km/h) winds throughout Hawaii downed trees, resulting in some power outages. Damage from the hurricane totaled $200,000 (1978 USD, $619,000 2006 USD).
Read more about this topic: Hurricane Fico
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