When It Rains, It Pours.....

After all the lamenting about our lack of rain on Maui, we finally have rain. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily the kind we wanted.

Maui's been hit pretty hard by some heavy and even torrential rainfall over the last few days, some of which is coming down as I write this. The streams are swollen, the grounds are soaked and the wind is toppling utility poles and trees by the score.

The direction of the rain is from the south and south-west. Something we call Kona storms in Hawaii. The areas that see the least amount of rainfall are the hardest hit and generally the least prepared for it. Much of the developments and construction has been in areas that historically are run-off areas for when we have these large Kona storms.

Yesterday the Haleakala National Park was closed from the rain. The roads became nearly impassible as the streams flooded their culverts and became raging rivers across the roadways.

Further down in the Kula area, at the Waiohuli subdivision, houses were being flooded by the rapidly moving waters. One house was swept off it's foundation and into a gulch. The occupants had to be airlifted from their roofs.

Omaopio and Pulehu roads were closed from major water carrying debris and boulders across the roads. The trees in just the Kula areas, not normally subjected to this type of weather or wind direction, came down all over Kula and blocked road ways, the entrance to Kula Community center, fell on parked cars and took out numerous electric and telephone cables.

In Maalaea the rain, soft ground and strong winds managed to topple 7 major transmission poles that help carry the 69,000 volt power to various locations.

The damage is far and wide and this is just Maui. Oahu and other islands are no doubt reeling from the effects of the storm too.

It will be days before roads are cleared and power is restored. And we still have a conservation notice about water usage. Not because of a lack of it, but with no power the pumps can't fill the holding tanks and so we can still run short of water.

Now is a good time to mentally note all the areas that we need to work on when it comes to Maui's infrastructure and design. This is the time to remember and when things have settled then is the time to hear from all the Concerned Voices on Maui.
When the storm is over and life has settled down, let the powers that be hear from the Concerned Voices of our island and State until our voices like the rain begin to pour.