Hawaii has done what it could to prepare. And now the call is for calm, patience — and kindness.
Hurricane Lane arrived in the state on Thursday, with Oahu and Kauai facing its closest approach that night and into today.
Many people, including kamaaina who are veterans of past storms, had to confess feeling a bit afraid of this one. Lane took aim at the islands’ population centers that often have escaped the worst effects of earlier scrapes.
But in the thick of the winds and rain, dashing about for almost any reason is unwise and unhelpful, adding to the road hazards for anyone who actually needs to be out there. Best to hunker down in the safest part of the house and conserve what food, supplies and energy you can for the next phase.
Recovery. And that demands a certain measure of community spirit not always in evidence when we’re making our usual rounds in life.
Nothing has the potency to unite a state of islands, to overcome the distractions of political and cultural in-fighting, as a powerful hurricane does. State and county emergency agencies pulled together and offered the public some coordination and direction that was good to see.
More encouragement: Gov. David Ige quickly requested, and President Donald Trump promptly granted, the emergency declaration needed to enable federal help.
And teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived almost immediately, armed with generators and reassurance. After a federal response to Puerto Rico’s hurricane woes last year that could be termed “spotty” at best, it was a relief to hear that resolve for a better performance here.
Even with the assist of those with the macro view, it will soon become clear to Hawaii residents that much of the work of weathering the storm, and of the aftermath to come, is the kuleana of each family and each neighborhood.
The burden of cleanup could be massive, even in those areas where the wind force and storm surge is at tropical-storm levels or less. Kuhio Highway, the link to and from Kauai’s north shore communities, was months from resuming full function from the mudslides produced by April flooding. Garden Islanders will discover soon what kind of further handicap Lane will leave them.
It could take many months. Hurricane Harvey struck Texas a year ago, and the anniversary finds parts of that state still in disrepair, even with a robust federal assist.
Hawaii, a state that subsists on its capacity for hospitality, must hope for a better outcome than that. The islands’ physical isolation means that, more than the rest of the states, its residents have to rely on their own resources.
This goes for the mop-up, street by street. Neighbors need to look out for neighbors, helping each other where they can. If there are elders who could use some special care — and there will be more and more in this age cohort, with every passing year — families and friends have to band together and deliver it.
Those who must seek outside shelter because of the particular hazards of their living environment, be advised: The emergency shelters provide only a roof over an evacuee’s head, and only for the short term.
If a home is not safe for “sheltering in place,” necessities such as food, water and medicine, as well as bedding, must be brought to the shelter. Many shelters are pet-friendly, so don’t forget the essentials for furry friends, as well.
Peering a bit beyond this current crisis, it’s disconcerting that so many of Hawaii’s emergency shelters are not themselves hardened for more than a tropical-storm assault. The need to strengthen more of them should be on the table for discussion.
However, that is a talk for another day. For now we huddle close and wait, and as the all-clear sounds, we work. It’s something Hawaii knows how to do, a responsibility it must shoulder now.
