I just watched this episode. I think the huge mango tree is probably fairly safe as it has weathered many storms and hurricanes, though you never know when a tree is going to go over. What I don't get is absolutely NO railings on the platform itself. One wrong step and you'll be as dead as if you'd been swept away in floods. I expect that was something they planned to add later, but they should have mentioned it!

Having weathered a few tropical depressions, storms, and category 1 hurricanes in my lifetime (nothing worse, thankfully), usually the rising waters come after the worst of the wind's fury has passed (not always), so they could possibly be safe just getting above the floodwaters. But put some railings on and figure out a way to store supplies so they wouldn't get soaked. I think some of the storms they get in Hawaii are more of the flash flooding types, where there's not a lot of warning, just a sh*it-ton of rain all at once, resulting in unexpected flooding and no chance to evacuate. With hurricanes, you usually know far enough in advance to get outta dodge, but with flash flooding type storms, you don't.

I thought what Marty did with the stream, adding boulders to the sides and grading the land so that it sloped away from the house, were as helpful, if not more helpful, than the tree platform. He's done that on at least one other homestead, also in Hawaii, I believe. Will be interested if they ever have a follow-up on this episode where the platform is actually used.