Hurricane Lowell, Kauai, 9/7-8/26
Well, I’m writing this on Tuesday 9/8 after I made it
rhrough Hurricane Lowell on Kauai. Yesterday morning, the winds were ripping
and I never left the vrbo. I could see
some cars, but we were supposed to stay off the road and of course I followed
instructions. I literally sat in my 5x5 ish space it seemed for the entire day.
Luckily, I had done the marathon the day before, been out in the ocean, and had
a few hiking days beforehand. I was really patient, not really knowing what was
coming. I had heard reports, and embarrassingly, I didn’t even think to turn on
the tv. I don’t really believe in
watching TV when I’m traveling because I want all of my time to be intentional,
but it wasn’t until later in the day that I turned on the tv to get some news.
I made water- I pulled out all of the cups and
jugs/containers in the cupboards and filled with water to put in the
fridge. Made as much ice as I could in
the freezer. I knew it was more than likely we would lose power and water.( we
did). I also boiled an extra package of soba noodles I had brought. I had made
them (with tuna packet) for the night before the race, and I’m glad that I for
some reason had brought a 2nd package just in case. I also made
coffee knowing that, at least I’d have some cold coffee brewed. Everything was
charged: phone, power bank, computer, I Had filled up gas the day before. I had
that morning moved my car to the 2nd level of the parking garage,
even though it said it was for a different condo, I just hoped they wouldn’t
tow before a storm. I felt prepared.
I busied myself by braiding my hair (I’m really glad I did
this, don’t even know why I did, but it was so good since I wasn’t going to
have access to a shower for days, and when I braid my hair, I feel like it
keeps it from getting horrible if I can’t shower). I started a book, tried to
take a nap, but then there were alarms starting to go off on the phone blaring,
that we are in a flood watch…. I wasn’t sleeping, so I was just up and then I
am getting txts to make sure I have a “go bag” in case I need to evacuate. So,
I did do that, and while doing that, I actually just ended up packing
EVERYTHING which I’m glad I did. I had my backpack, carryon and this backpack
that I put inside my backpack was my urgent “go bag” essentials. Wallet in
ziplock, ziplock near phone and anything that shouldn’t get water on it. Family
was texting that I needed to know where the evacuation shelters were, so I
looked them up, it wasn’t easy or obvious to find (looking back- for an island
full of visitors- if they did want us to evacuate somewhere, it should have
been easier to access?). I thought I found the location I would go to which was
a town 10 min down the road and up/away from ocean (Koloa). I put that into my
maps in case, but with the winds blowing, I really was like, I’m certainly not
going anywhere in this. I think this is
when things were getting real as the afternoon wore on, and I finally decided
to turn on the tv. Once the tv was on, I was seeing that there were 5
evacutation centers on the island listed, and Koloa was NOT one. So, ok. I knew
I wasn’t really going anywhere anyway, but, now that was not an option. The talk at this point was: evacuate
VERTICALLY. Ummmm, I don’t know anyone
above me. It’s not like people can just go upwards unless their own house has
multiple floors! I did start to get nervous. I was on the 2nd floor,
however the way the land sloped up, my 2nd floor lanai was just a
few feet up from the ground, so it wasn’t really like a “true” 2nd
floor… and… the ocean was across the street. I’m starting to really think about
this now.
Here is where this really begins for me. I begin clearing
off the top of the fridge thinking, if water does come in here, how much would
come in. Of course I wouldn’t know.
Noone would know. If there is water flow, I need to have a place high to
climb to. I put my carryon/backpack/go
bag UP on the counter also. I was looking at the windows of this place which
are those “slat” type windows where you can tilt them to let the breeze in/
cross breeze with the other side. Now they were obviously “locked” and closed,
but ummmmm, I bet they aren’t that sturdy against a wall of water and that did
not leave me feeling awesome.
Now, we were under a tornado watch. I do not like tornados
one bit. So, now, not only do I have my refrigerator plan, but I start
thinking, if a tornado came, I would go into the bathroom, into the shower
stall I guess? (maybe that wasn’t smart as an afterthought because it had glass
surrounding it?) But I brought these extra blankets to put on the floor of
shower stall (it was all dry) and extra towels and extra pillows if I needed to
go in there and cover my head. I also put water and snacks in that area incase
I got stuck in there.
The sun is going down and the wind is getting stronger and I
had had my plan for “wine”. I thought
tonight would be a good night to have some wine (surprise!) but not too much. I
thought I should have some to help me relax a bit, but I needed my reaction
time to be sharp. I did my last face wash, tooth brush and we still had power
and I laid down, I was keeping the bathroom light on but I had my knuckle light
with me, phone. The lights would flicker, but they would stay on! I had seen on
social media that it was already out on north shore, east, and west, so even
though poipu / south was supposed to get really smacked, we still had lights in
our condo complex. 9pm, it was whipping. I just tried to relax. Power went out
at 10pm. PITCH BLACK. Pitch black. That probably just added another entire
degree of fear how dark it was, but I knew at anytime I could turn on my
knuckle light. I lay there in the dark
wondering what was going to happen. Would water come in? or would a tornado? Or
would it all be ok. I lay there thinking
if water came in, one of the last things I wanted to do was drown. Then I
realize I’ve always said, when I die, just sprinkle me out in the ocean…. And
now I’m thinking, but I didn’t mean I wanted to go INTO the ocean TO DIE!
I kept trying to decipher the horrible sounds. Were those
sounds of the railroad sound that you hear in a tornado? Over the night I probably got up 4x and ran
to the bathroom thinking that was it coming. Probably 2 of those times I nearly
vomit from fear. I would lay back down, and my heart rate was so high, then I
felt like I was having chest pain, and I’m thinking, breathe easy Sharon…. If
this turns out nothing and you lay here and die of a heart attack over nothing
that would be SUCH a shame.
I of course did not sleep one single wink. There was no way
with the sounds. There is no even describing them. I would occasionally look at
my watch to see the hour we were on. I just kept trying to make it hour by
hour. 1am. We were in the thickest of it. 2am I saw, I had made it through
these hours one after the other so far. Just make it to 3am now: it was like
marathon training, but just to survive the night. Mile by mile, hour by hour.
I hated being alone in such a scary terror, but I also felt
like if I were with someone, it may have made it worse for me. I think it just
made me stay strong for myself, and if I had someone to voice my fears to, it
may have made it worse.
I remember occasionally there were flashes of light like
super fast LIGHT. electricity? (I have
no idea if that was real? The sounds were so huge if there were thunder, it
would have gotten drowned out by the other noise). Apparently next door in the
condos next to us, there was a car alarm that was going off for a bunch of
hours through the night. I didn’t hear
that one bit, which was funny because that would have been so close.
I made it to 4am, then at 5am, I literally did a little
smile. I could tell the winds were on the other side of the storm. I had made
it through the worst. The roosters and chickens amazingly started making their
sounds and I was SHOCKED at how those little animals survive stuff like this. I
have zero idea how that happens.
When the sun came up, I opened my sliding door to the lanai,
really kind of tentative. I had no idea
what I would see. The water was over the road.
The ocean had come up, it was next to our condos creating a lake. I didn’t know yet but all the first floors
had flooded. Then I looked at people walking where the road is, past the new
lake, and noticed what looked like destruction of the road. I put my shoes on,
and walked out to see what in the world.
It was like zombies walking, sun streaming over the morning horizon and
everyone looking around, no talking, the road in shambles, furniture from
across the street had washed near the road, the road had been literally lifted
up and mutilated. Some road remained and it was in crazy shapes- like
“pockmarked”. Some of the road was lifted and carried into parking lots, the
lawn of the condos, all sized pieces. I
realized, well no one is driving anywhere for awhile. Surprisingly, around 9am,
crews started coming with bulldozers. The shambles of the road were removed, by
1pm, the road was similar to a flat road, by 4pm possibly- people were DRIVING
ON IT! I was shocked.
Mud was covered in the parking garage, I am so lucky I had
moved my rental car. Cars on the bottom level anywhere around were filled with
water. That was all I could see for this
point in time, I had to go back in and like just…. Be with myself…. After that
night, after that first glimpse of what had happened DURING that night. I
imagined if the ocean did that to the road, what it would do to a human.
Later, I went back out, just because it was really hard to
sit indoors for so long, and it was a beautiful sunny day, extremely
humid. So I walked the other
direction. More road destruction, houses
ripped up along the road. Some things standing, some obliterated. I walked
back. The Beach House Restaurant, across
the street fro my condo- from the front was fine. I walked to the side to look
at the ocean and realized- the beach house restaurant was OBLITERATED. The
front wall of the restaurant may have looked ok, but the rest had been torn up,
it was open/ walls/windows gone. The inside demolished. I was SO sad. I had
only been here once, just for a happy hour, but this place is iconic. Outside
of the beach house restaurant is where at sunset in Poipu, everyone
congregates: the lawn is open (not the restaurant but to the side of that
property) and people can just sit on it and watch all the great surfers that
come out to surf at sunset, and the sunset viewing here is extraordinary. If I
am staying in Poipu, this is my every single night. My coming home. I felt like
it hit me a little personally, even though I don’t actually live there, I just
love it so much that it was shocking it was wiped out.
I kept going out for short stints. The workers were busy, I
didn’t want to be a body getting in the way, and it was honestly just a lot to
take in. It was just shocking and eerie-
like zombies walking through destruction with big eyes. I met a local woman who
I’ll never forget, you could tell she was so shaken and somehow we started
talking. She was safe, her home not damaged, and she was checking on some of
her friends. She said she had been doing a silent like 4 day meditation before the
storm and she had slept right through it, she felt it was connected to the calm
she had cultivated through her silent days. She said something about yoga and I
said, I teach yoga also, and it was so interesting to me, she looked at me and
just said, “I know you do.” Like two souls, who already knew each other.
I would go back to my room. It was like 90 degrees and SUPER
humid for the rest of my 2 days left there it was like this- zero breezes. Of
course there was no air conditioning/ no power, I couldn’t turn my fan on, the
room was getting really hot. The entire time I had been there, I never used air
conditioning, but the fan had helped so much and now – not only no fan, but no
water- no washing face, showers, couldn’t go in the oceans for the next at least
week due to water conditions/runoff from the mountains, and all pools closed
(because no filters). It was hot and stinky feeling. Sticky.
Over the next days, while my flight out was cancelled and it
seemed near impossible to reschedule a flight, reschedule my rental car duration
since I couldn’t connect to any of the apps, I had already checked out of my
vrbo, luckily, the guy let me come back for a (free) night, I saw all of the
tree distruction, electric lines down, cars backed up for MILES because the
roads are one lane each direction and the roads had to be shut down at times
for crews to accomplish their work. I would charge my phone while driving (I
only had gone out 1x and it was when I found out my flight was cancelled, so
then I was trying to get to airport to see if I could speak with someone about
any other flight options- I saw one look at the airport and never went in). Gas
stations closed. Food trucks
closed. Wal Mart closed. Everything
closed. Living Foods- this real nice food shop that also has a restaurant/coffee
shop was open for just any of the food that was still in the grocery area. No
lights on, there was a woman at the desk that just put the food on the
calculator and told us how much to pay, somehow they were able to take our
credit card. I bought wine and like 2 things that I would have never otherwise
bought, but it seemed like the right thing to do is to make sure I had a little
bit extra food, plus support a local business that opened for people. It was
the start of Kauai’s recovery from Hurricane Lowell.
I was left leaving Kauai with such an odd feeling. So odd for me to be DYING TO GET OUT. I thought I love this place why do I want to get out so bad?! And I think it was knowing that I was a visitor, needed to get “out of the way”, I needed to get back to work, back to being able to shower, have water, not live survivalist. I felt a sense of guilt for being so intensely trying to do all that I could to get on any airplane, anywhere… like I was betraying the place I love and ALWAYS WANT TO BE. I have struggled a bit with this, like, it just doesn’t JIVE with my heart. And I’m getting used to the fact that it was just a weird event, visitors needed to leave to make space for recovery, to have all the services and food going to the people that live there and need it. But it just felt a little creepy to want to get out, to flee, to leave my place where my heart lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment