Donnelly Oceantics: MEGA STORM

THUNDER, LIGHTENING, AND 27 INCHES OF RAIN IN 24 HOURS

We lucked out on Sunday April 1 for Easter at the beach, we were pleasantly dry on a damp Sunday April 8 for Gil’s party, but she, Mother Nature, caught us the next weekend. We get flash flood warnings every time it rains. Maybe this is intended for idiots that try to do Kalalau Trail during storms that need to then be rescued, making a fine adventure IF they live through it, but putting rescuers’ lives at risk unnecessarily.

Anyway, most of us keep our windshield wipers fresh and continue to do our doings. The road to Hanalei closes if the river rises 8 feet. This rise is often compounded with rain coming off the mountains, down through the valley, and rising tides where the ocean pushes back at the mouth. There are phone numbers to call to check on the possible closures any time.

These alerts in no way hinted at the ferocity of the coming storm. Saturday night it rained mercilessly hard, the power went out of course, but we could see to move around the house because the lightening was virtually continuous. As was the thunder that followed – while the noise made it seem like the house shook, all the pictures were crooked next day. In a lull Sunday morning, we went out for a bike ride to check out the neighborhood.

Dirty Hanalei Bay

Before we got back home, the second storm hit and after wringing ourselves out, we watched it pour and grumble all day Sunday. Even being at 220+ feet elevation in Princeville. and living basically on porous lava, the water couldn't drain fast enough.

Front

Back

Side

Diversion

The neighbor’s yard was shooting water toward our garage and mud room. Gil put up a 1x12 that handily diverted it toward the street. Good job!

The roads were closed in both directions due to flooding and landslides. The river had risen 17 feet Saturday night. We had heard that bison from the farm below the Hanalei lookout had been washed to sea and were being herded back in by jet-ski paniolos Hawaiian cowboys).

This photo (not mine) went viral on the internet – at least here. Gotta love it, the bison that replaced Puff the Magic Dragon as a Hanalei icon!

On our bike ride, I took a picture of the golf course with many broken branches and trees down. That afternoon Gil went to check on houses of friends who are off island and got a picture at the same spot.

Sunday am - broken trees all the way back

Sunday afternoon - the little culvert buried

BTW, one of the houses he checked was fine and the other had water running down the inside from a new roof leaking.

Early Sunday, Gil had heard all the canoes had been washed away at both canoe clubs but during the lull between storms someone sent a picture of the canoes, not washed down the river, but into the trees. That was the first good news. Some, at least might be salvageable. No one knew. The road had caved in between the town and club and no one was even allowed to walk through.

Looking through the tent out to the pile up in the trees

Lull between storms

MONDAY

People in Hanalei and beyond were stuck. Shop owners, if they could get there, were pushing mud out their doors. People in Haena and Wainiha Valley had no water or power in many instances. Residents found the conditions the worst since previous hurricanes. Tourists were baffled about getting to the airport or at least to higher ground.

We can walk to the beach from our house by three paths, two go through the resorts, and one down by the sewer and a back dirt road. Gil and the boys needed to get to the club so walked down the track to the river mouth (which was calm). I had walked down to recon and the guys arrived as I headed back.

Path, beach to left

Gil was startled to see this thousand pound youngster on his way down! While she will end up on a grill, right now she is just confused after the surprise swim down river

Here is another one that was rescued from the bay

River mouth - small boats and jet skis were transporting people and goods back and forth

Passengers

Supplies, personal donations, all aloha. That tangle of hau trunks in the bay looks suspiciously like what had been stuck at the bend in the river recently

Back home I checked on people that were stranded and some were OK; water coming back on, and others waiting to get airlifted out. Gil got a jet-ski ride, Jim swam, and others paddled stand-ups across the river to the club. Once there, they assessed damage, cleaned up and moved things around best they could now that the water had receded.

They felt like they were playing pick up sticks (heavy pick up sticks)

Six man broken

God knows it could have been worse, like the first report that said they had all washed out

This one-man rack had floated across the yard toward the river, fully loaded. Some boats were damaged, others were not - random. Gil’s is fine although far more fragile, mine has a long crack on top but fixable.

This one is obviously not fixable.

Slot at left where the rack floated out from! We were just impressed it held together as well as it did.

TUESDAY

What a difference a day makes. We jammed to Lihue for supplies and saw military convoys with zodiacs and supply trucks heading to the north shore. Helicopters have been non-stop for days now. We knew Kauai’s north shore was hit hardest and were surprised to see aftermath from Anahola bridge.

Anahola Stream - somebody got it cleared quickly

In the afternoon we both went to the club and carried out our personal canoes (stopped at the road block by county guys, parked in a friend's yard, then stopped again by police, we made our way through private back yards that gave us access to the club). I wandered around trying to absorb the scale of damage.

One of the back yards, double damage here

Same house, other side

The road to Black Pot Beach, the water chooses its own path. Incredible no injuries have been reported.

Ever take a shower at Black Pot? The shower is standing although the privacy screen is nowhere to be seen. We've all complained about this restroom - conceivably it will be replaced and be nice again some day.

Trailer parking at park, across from club. This asphalt road dives into the same sinkhole that ate up the restroom building and trucks above.

Pilikoa - our gates are good but the road is gone. Sinkholes both ends of pavement.

Gaylord's house at beach - front and side look perfectly normal but I went around back and saw the whole lanai hanging in the air. The water chose to make its way to the sea and nothing could stop it.