The State of Hawaii and particularly Maui County were hit with a historical Kona low storm last weekend. High winds and heavy rain cause damage across the island, diverted and canceled flights, closed businesses and stores and forced road closures. Were you ready?
My husband is a former CERT member (Civilian Emergency Response Team) and although he keeps us wonderfully prepped, we still made a list of improvements to complete after this weather event. Hurricane season in Hawaii runs from June to October.
We have some downspout gutters that are too long and didn’t divert the overwhelming amount of water away from our home sufficiently.
Although we thought we had secured outside items, we had one pool float that sprung free and bounced between our house and our neighbor’s at 2am and 10 feet in the air. That was a fun “recovery” in the pouring rain.
Preparing for a Storm in Hawaii
That storm was a good reminder that even when you think you’re prepared, there’s always room to improve. Here are a few reminders to add to your storm prep list:
1. Make a Plan.
And discuss it often with your family. It’s one thing to have a general idea of what to do, and another to actually walk through it together. In the moment, things can move quickly, and stress levels are high. Having a simple, shared plan in place ahead of time makes a big difference.
2. Prepare.
Some events can come at you without warning. Take advantage of having knowledge beforehand! Don’t wait till the last minute to shop, gas up or prep your property. Make a list of emergency contacts, copies of insurance documents, etc. and have them uploaded to a cloud server that can be accessed easily, even if you lose your electronics.
3. Document.
Before, during and after an event. Upload the photos and video to a cloud server or email it to yourself or someone you trust in the off chance you lose or damage your phone. A good old-fashioned composition notebook can be a life saver.
I learned in the event you can’t find or have sandbags; large unopened bags of potting soil will work! Pool noodles can also be duct taped together and wedged in place to keep water at bay.
Resources for Updates During a Storm
We relied on the Hawaii News Network First Weather Alert app a lot during the storm. Their radar would not only show the past rain activity but also what was coming.
The Maui County website has a lot of good resources including MEMA (Maui Emergency Management Agency) and road closures – under the Police Department category.
I’ve followed the Maui Flood, Fire & Disaster relief group on Facebook since 2018. There is a lot of good, practical information that can be found there.
Most importantly, stay safe. Things can be replaced, people can’t. Ask for help. This is a loving community, and many are happy to be of service or a resource.
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