We’re part of the way through this year’s hurricane season in the central Pacific. So far, we’ve had the familiar feeling watching storms originate a couple of thousand miles away and then seemingly get on a track aiming for our tiny islands. The first few either fizzled early or veered past us with few effects.

Last year, after several close calls, we took stock of our situation. Our house was mostly rebuilt before we moved back from Kaaawa, and it’s sturdy construction. It has a good chance of surviving a good storm.

But we also have lots of windows, opening the small house to the feel of the outside.

Even our front door is glass. We like it, but during hurricane season it leaves you with a background sense of unease.

Here are two views from the living room towards the front door, and then towards the back deck and yard. Last year, when a couple of storms looked like they might get closer than they eventually did, we kicked ourselves for not having done something to protect the windows in case of hurricane.

We consulted a friend, a former UH meteorologist who has retired in the Pacific Northwest. We asked him directly whether, in light of climate change, he would invest in hurricane protection. He didn’t hesitate. He said he would do it, because while climate change might not result in more storms, he said we could expect storms to grow more powerful.

So early this year we went looking, found a small company that brings in hurricane shutters that meet Florida’s strict hurricane standards, and decided that it would be worth the expense to be able to install shutters that could be installed if, or when, that hurricane finally hits Oahu.

Here’s a bit of the result. Most windows have been fitted with polycarbonate panels that are far stronger than plywood, but only a fraction of the weight. Other areas, like the front porch and those big sliding glass doors to the back deck, are fitted with hurricane fabric screens, and all can be installed pretty easily by a couple of people when needed.

These are currently in a storage closet where we keep tools and other items. When it looks like a storm is coming our way, we’ll hopefully have several days to slowly install them, waiting until the storm is closing in before installing the fabric sheets front and back.

Hopefully, we won’t have occasion to actually put this system to the test. But as we watch the weather during hurricane season, at least we feel like we’ve done what we can to protect ourselves and our home.

One note: I contacted our insurance company, and was surprised to find that they give no discounts for having hurricane panels and fabric screens, although they do give a small discount for having a home alarm system. I expect that that will change if storms become a more regular feature in our part of the Pacific.