As the last tourists fled the hurricane-ravaged resorts of Kauai this week, hotel and state officials had a multimillion-dollar question: When would they come back?
Hurricane Iniki battered the island's 70 hotels, tossing palm trees through windows, ripping off roofs and sluicing sand and gravel through elegant marble lobbies.Many of the major resorts and condominiums said they would decline reservations for several months.
"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.
About 7,500 tourists were on Kauai when Hurricane Iniki struck Friday and an estimated 2,000 remained Tuesday. Batey said some tourists were staying despite the storm, although he didn't know how many.
Tourism is a mainstay of the island's economy, and the storm could cost Kauai $250 million to $500 million in lost business, said Gene Cotter of the Hawaii Visitor's Bureau.
"That little island is in bad shape and is going to have to fight its way back," said Cotter, who estimated recovery could take three to six months.
Still, he said, Kauai's 7,400 hotel rooms account for only 10 percent of Hawaii's entire capacity, and he was dismayed that television reports could give mainlanders the idea that the rest of the chain was damaged.
"Don't change your travel plans if you had planned to come to Hawaii," Cotter said. "You may have to change islands, but come."
It was the second time around for the "Garden Island," as Kauai is also called. Hurricane Iwa left $216 million in damage when it roared through in 1982. Full recovery took several years.
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 Sheraton Hotels spokesman Peter Jenkins. The Sheraton Princeville Hotel sustained roof damage and its marble lobby was flooded.
Jenkins said Tuesday that officials hoped to get their guests off the island.
"The guests were terrific," he said. "They pitched in and they were washing dishes and helping cook."
Cotter said Iwa's damage was less extensive than Iniki's, which is estimated at $1 billion.