Hawaii Storm Update: Good and Bad

As you’ve undoubtedly heard, we’ve just had another extremely soggy week here in Hawaii.  I’ve been hold up at home, with fireplace burning and most all doors and windows shut tight.  This is most unusual, as we’ve already had between two and three weeks of very stormy weather, since our rainy season began just last month.

This latest episode has been quite a serious storm and has caused much damage and flooding.  We even had an unusual tornado come very nearby on Saturday.  The governor signed a state disaster proclamation covering Kauai, Maui and Oahu, to aid in recovery from damage caused by the storm that began hitting the state last Wednesday and continued through Saturday.

Rain is Hawaii can be quite unlike anything on the U.S. mainland or other continents.  The intensity of the rain can exceed six inches per hour.  If you’ve ever experienced it, you know exactly what I mean.

I’ll break this into some good and bad news, from my viewpoint, for visitors and locals alike:

Good.

1.  All of the major islands were suffering from moderate to severe drought as recently as October.  More than three-quarters of the state was under drought conditions.  You won’t soon be hearing about drought in Hawaii again.

2.  With all of the rain we’ve already had, it would seem unlikely that we’ll have more storms over the upcoming holidays.  Spending Christmas and New Year’s Day at the beach in Hawaii is an unforgettable experience for visitors, and a long-standing tradition for locals.

Bad.

1.  The flooding and wind damage were severe with many homes damaged or destroyed.  Many water rescues were reported.  State and County Civil Defense agencies and the Red Cross are still assessing the situation.  Hereafter problems of mildew and mosquitos will add to the issues.

2.  Brown water advisory.  It may be a number of days until it is safe to go into the ocean (or rivers/streams).  Due to the extreme runoff, as well as sewage spills, everyone is advised to stay out of the water until at least today, Monday.  By then we should have some analysis of bacteria levels.  Not heading the warnings put you at risk for staff infections or leptospirosis.

3.  Parks closed.  On Oahu, which this week has taken the hit the hardest.  Waimanalo and Bellows beach parks are closed as is Diamond Head National Monument, Foster Botanical Garden, Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden and the Lili’uokalani Botanical Garden.

4.  Superferry cancellations.  I know of at least one set of voyage cancellations between Oahu and Maui this week, although I couldn’t find how many more occurred.  With the rough seas (twenty foot swells), even if they had sailed, you definitely would not have wanted to be on board.  As you may recall, we’ve mentioned before that Superferry during rough winter ocean conditions is only for the hardiest of souls.

Note.

Last month, I wrote about the rainy season here in Hawaii, which runs primarily from November through March.