Big Island Hurricane Diary, Hurricane Iselle

Hurricane Iselle made landfall in Kapoho on the Big Island of Hawaii on August 7.   My daughter and I were scheduled to return from the mainland the night of the hurricane.  It took until 5 days later for us to fly home because a second storm, Julio, was forecasted to strike a few days after Iselle.  Also, the roads to the airport were blocked for a few days after the storm.  Fallen trees made many areas impassable. Live power lines dangled from the power poles.  We returned to find devastation all around us.  My husband said the night of the storm was one of the scariest of his life.  The wind was blowing so hard that large trees were snapping.  He heard a crash and then an explosion, and looked out to see the huge autograph tree from across the street had fallen and landed just six feet away from our house and truck, blocking our driveway.  He realized he wouldn’t be able to evacuate even if he wanted to.

The day after Iselle he spent helping neighbors clear the roads of our community.  Our normally politically divided neighborhood has much more aloha than usual this past week.  This crisis has broken down social barriers.

Here’s what I’ve noticed since I’ve been home.  Because we have no electricity, we have simplified our lives.  We are eating simpler, healthier food made with fewer ingredients because we’re cooking with a propane stove and a limited supply of propane. Our routines have changed and hours seem longer (in a good way) without the noise of the television and the hum of electricity. My thoughts are clearer.  I’m starting to understand why people go to monasteries seeking clarity in their lives. A disaster brings people out in the open to seek help, to offer help and seek new information.  Strangers have been talking to me in the grocery store parking lot.

Huge autograph tree that just missed the house and truck.

I have an internet flower business specializing in shipping tropical flowers and leis from Hawaii to the U. S. mainland states.  Currently I'm conducting business in the back of my friend’s classroom.  I process orders, screen phone calls and answer correspondence.  When I need to take a call I go out to the parking lot.  Sometimes my friend calls on me as if I was one of the students, to answer a question or two.  I saw one of my new young “friends” in the library the other day.

Today I went over to the Pahoa Community Center, which was serving as a refuge for those left homeless by Iselle.  Many agencies, such as the Red Cross and Catholic Charities had tables set up to help those with questions about aid.    There was a line that wrapped around the building when I first walked up.  I asked a few people what they were waiting for.  Those near the front of the line told me there were 40 generators being given away.  Those near the rear of the line said there were 400 generators being given away.  I got in line anyhow because I thought it was the line for the DARC relief organizations.  After waiting about 10 minutes, I asked a friend to hold my place in line while I went to find out more information.  The policeman at the front said there were no generators being given away.  I said,”What are you doing here then?”  He said there  was nothing being given away.”I’m just here to keep the peace.”  In the community room  there were representatives of many relief organizations , such as Catholic Charities and the Red Cross.  

Sat., August 16

Now we have a generator. We ordered it on Amazon and it actually came the next day as advertised.  It is powering our refrigerator and charging our cell phones and computers.  We intermittently keep it on, 3 hours on and off.  We are grateful to have it but it grates on our nerves terribly.  The noise overwhelms me and makes it hard to think clearly.  We still find ourselves looking for ice each day because we need it as backup for the hours the generator is off.  

Today we went through the motions of a normal pre-hurricane Saturday, which is easy because we are in Hilo, which seems untouched by the storm.  It is incredible to think that what has affected our lives so profoundly left Hilo, just 35 miles away, unscathed.

Sunday, August 17

Got out of bed around 8 and did a loop on my bike around the neighborhood, noisy with the hum of generators already.  I made coffee and asked my husband to please not turn the generator until after breakfast  Our daughter went with friends to Hilo , where there is internet, to do her homework.  The kids of this generation need the internet to to complete their assignments, such as vocabulary and essays.   The storm has forced teenagers out of their houses , so they can access social media whilst socializing.  

Yard cleaned up and back to business.

While my husband looked for ice in Pahoa, I worked in the garden to get it ready for planting .  While gardening, I heard a shout at my gate.  The Kona Ice Company was cruising our neighborhood, giving away ice to all the residents.  They had driven all the way from Kona with 3 trucks filled with coolers with ice on a Sunday.  I took one bag in case my husband came back empty-handed.  He arrived 20 minutes later with 2 bags of ice, farm fresh vegetables and a cool camping lantern given to him by the volunteers at the Leilani community center.  It is so impressive that the hurricane relief is so organized and that local businesses are involved in helping those affected by the storm with ice, food, blankets and tarps.  We are most thankful to those organizations that have come right to the source, delivering supplies and ice to our community instead of having to drive around searching for them. It has helped us achieve a degree of normalcy without having to plan our day around the procuring ice.

Wed., Aug. 20

After a long morning at the “office/classroom” I drove to an orchid farm I do business with in Kapoho to finalize an order since they were doing business without the benefits of a phone, fax or internet.  When I arrived, the office manager pointed up at the lights which were on!  She said they had come on without warning a half an hour earlier.   I dared to hope our neighborhood was also on power again.  I bypassed the ice pickup I had planned.  When I returned home and saw the smile on my husband’s face, I knew right away that there would be a hot shower that evening.  There was only one thing missing, phone service.  I realized that everyone else on my street had phone service returned and didn’t understand until my husband showed me the phone line dangling from the pole out in front of the house.  Eventually Hawaiian Telecom will make the repair, but until then I am happy to manage (using the internet at our helpful neighbors house to do business), since I have become very good at managing with much less.