From the title, I was expecting to read about a Cat 4 or 5. Raised in Miami in the 60s and 70s, I know what a “powerful hurricane” is. This measly Cat 2 is not it.
My thought exactly. And has mentioned above shouldn’t it have been called a typhoon?
Yes, but they actually have elevation changes in Hawaii.
So, when they get 6-12” of rain on top of the hill it all comes down due to gravity to the ocean. Sometimes, very quickly. Bringing with it mud, rocks, trees and anything else in its way.
This is what happened a few weeks ago when the southern tip of the big island of Hawaii was hit. They ended up with mud/landslides taking out houses, etc. Similar to what happened in Nepal. Flash floods/landslides.
Plus, most of those houses over in Hawaii are just shacks built on land that is worth a lot more than the building costs. Many houses do not have expensive concrete foundations or pilings down into the bedrock.
There are no mountains in Miami.
With no mountains there is no water rushing down hill.
The mountains have a way of magnifying winds and rain.
I know what you mean because I lived on the coast about halfway between Jacksonville and Miami for 33 years. But the storm that probably did the most damage wasn't a hurricane at all. It was Tropical Storm Fay, which dumped about 20-25 inches of rain on us. My house wasn't flooded, but it made me worry a bit.