Sitting in a very long and very slow-moving gas line through the Fujii Beach residential neighborhood in Kapaʻa Town two days after Hurricane Lowell on September 8, I decided I’d use my column to share what I learned about surviving a hurricane.
I wasn’t here for either of the past two major hurricanes that hit Kauaʻi. During ʻIwa (Nov. 23, 1982), I was away at college in Stockton, California, and during ʻIniki (Sept. 11, 1992), I was living in, and working for, the city of West Hollywood, California.
Days before its arrival, we prayed and prayed that Lowell would track far away from our state and from Kauaʻi. I’ve always believed, as many do, in the power of prayer. So, no matter your faith, please always pray that no harm comes to anyone in a hurricane’s path.
For over 30 years now our prayers, indeed, have been answered. And even now, with Lowell, our prayers were once again answered as it was not a direct hit, and it was not a Category 4 or 5 storm. As a result, in Anahola, most of our homes received only minimal damage; many just losing a few roofing shingles or experiencing damage to trees, other vegetation, or fencing.
Prior to Lowell’s arrival, we also focused on being prepared, having our hurricane kits ready, stocking up on water, and replacing the batteries in our flashlights and transistor radios.
What we didn’t think about was the critical need for ice that we’d face without having power for more than a couple days. Across our homestead, when I asked anyone what help they needed, the answer was always the same: ice. There just wasn’t enough to go around!
So, with Council Chair Mel Rapozo’s help, we were able to locate and secure a loaner generator to power up the ice-maker in our Anahola certified kitchen. I waited in that gas line for three hours to get the gas we needed. And, before you know it, we had our ice-making and distribution plan in motion.
After a couple days, the power came back on in Anahola, but we kept making 500 lbs. of ice a day and shared it with our friends in Hanalei at the Waipā Foundation for them to distribute to their community which was still without power.
Without power, cable, internet and an operational radio station, we could not receive official emergency notifications. Many took to the highways to get critical supplies from Costco, or gas from any open gas station.
We never received the notifications telling folks to stay off the roads to allow officials to do their rescue work and power restoration work. Of course, as I think about it now, that’s something we should already understand as necessary given the circumstances.
We’ve learned we need to better prepare ourselves by equipping our certified kitchen and pavilion to be an emergency hub from where we can, at a minimum, distribute critical supplies like ice and water and provide emergency communications!
