Hurricane Lowell Relief: September 16 Update

The night of September 7, the Wainiha River nearly doubled its flow in under two hours, surging from about 51,000 to 90,000 gallons per second according to a USGS gauge. Wainiha resident Trent Parke, 47, whose property borders the river, was walking back to his truck around 7:30 p.m. when the river rose and cut off his path. He swam back to his house and climbed to the roof of his deck as the water kept rising, watching his tool shed and art studio break away in the current. When his house itself began to break loose, he jumped into the river, reached a stand of hau bush, was swept off it and struck by a log, then climbed another hau tree and held on, half-submerged at times and fighting hypothermia, until 4 a.m.

At first light he reached the road and used his phone's flashlight to help four other stranded people to safety. His house had come to rest 30 to 50 yards downstream. In the days since, Trent has been out helping neighbors clear debris. "I was just thinking, I'm going to live. I'm going to figure it out," he told SFGATE. We also note with sadness that the body of a 59-year-old man was recovered nearby in Wainiha on September 11, and our hearts are with his ʻohana.

Read the full story at SFGATE, and if you can, support Trent's recovery through his GoFundMe. Stories like Trent's are exactly why our club's Disaster Relief fund exists: when the river takes a home, a shed, or a studio, neighbors need help rebuilding, and that is where Service Above Self becomes real. To contribute or volunteer through the club, reach out to Mark Wolfendale, our Disaster Relief program contact.

More than 300 Hawaiʻi National Guard personnel have deployed statewide in response to Hurricane Lowell, and Task Force Kauaʻi has been reinforced daily from the neighbor islands. Governor Josh Green said the Guard has "lived up to its motto of 'Always Ready, Always There.'" On Kauaʻi, that has meant Black Hawk helicopters ferrying TSA staff so Līhuʻe Airport could reopen, road clearing, a bulk water station in Kīlauea, a backup generator installed at a Līhuʻe dialysis center serving 75 patients (with 12 patients temporarily evacuated to Oʻahu), and Starlink terminals delivered to restore connectivity.

On September 12, Task Force Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Foodbank served more than 225 vehicles at a food distribution at Eleele Baptist Church, nearly triple the normal turnout. "This is something we usually do once a month; we usually serve anywhere from 75-125 families," said Pastor Larry Hale. "But because of the hurricane, obviously there's more people that need food." Read more from The Garden Island and army.mil.

KIUC's restoration workforce is now about 250 people, and there is real news for our side of the island: crews have isolated a section of transmission line between Princeville and Wainiha, and restoration could begin in parts of Princeville and Hanalei as soon as this week. Island-wide, KIUC has restored power to about 82% of members, with roughly 6,500 customers still out, mostly on the North Shore. Get the latest from KIUC, and if you or a neighbor are still in the dark and need a hand connecting to resources, Mark Wolfendale, our Disaster Relief program contact, is here to help.

A brighter note to close on: Hawaiʻi's first-of-its-kind parametric reef insurance program paid out $300,000 today after Hurricane Lowell's winds crossed the 57 mph trigger threshold, the second payout in three weeks following Hurricane Lala. Those funds go straight to reef restoration work. Read more at Kauaʻi Now.