SOUTH POINT — With Hurricane Madeline expected to pass near the southern end of the island today, some residents there didn’t seem too concerned Tuesday. ADVERTISING SOUTH POINT — With Hurricane Madeline expected to pass near the southern end of
SOUTH POINT — With Hurricane Madeline expected to pass near the southern end of the island today, some residents there didn’t seem too concerned Tuesday.
A couple of fishermen said they planned to fish all night and were happy to take advantage of the open ocean.
“It’s a beautiful day,” said Roger, who did not give his last name. He and his friend, Kimo, and a small group from Hilo had the fishing spot all to themselves after watching a crowd of 30 people fishing earlier in the day disperse.
“More than I can count,” Roger said about the number of storms, not to mention watches and warnings, he had been through.
He said he’s largely seen them turn to nothing and estimates only 1 in 10 of the warnings come to anything. Both men expected if the situation became more dangerous, the county or state would be there to clear the area. Besides, they said they could easily pack up their fishing gear and head to their homes inland if it came to that.
On Madeline’s heels is Lester, which is expected to move near or just north of the Big Island this weekend.
Still, other Ka‘u residents had limited preparations despite Madeline’s track.
Harry Evangelista of Pahala was working on closing up the Naalehu Theater on Tuesday. During a break, he talked about the earlier storms he lived through. To an extent, there’s not much to do as properties are already prepared for a storm.
“If it rains, it rains, if it blows, it blows,” he said.
In 2000, he was living in Wood Valley in Pahala when a heavy storm settled over the community, dumping rain and shaking homes. Back then, he helped tie vehicles to trees to stop them from floating away and saw a 20-foot gulch turn into a 100-yard river. Roads out of the area were washed away and the community was largely cut off. But residents got together to make sure everyone had what they needed, he said, and they made it through with little difficulty.
“It is the way it is,” he said.
Additionally, life in Ka‘u and Puna tends to lead to more self-reliance, he said, as people have to stock up on supplies because of the scarcity of retail outlets in the area. Also, people who live in an area familiar with storms often use electrical generators in their work that can be hooked up long enough “to keep the icebox cold.”
One of the few stores selling groceries in the area is Will and Grace Filipino Variety Store in Naalehu. Co-owner Grace Tavios said it didn’t seem to be as bad as previous storms. Sometimes, things are so bad the workers in the coffee fields and macadamia nut farms are sent home.
She’s lived through several major storms in the area, including when Tropical Storm Iselle struck the island in 2014. The biggest problem then, and other times, was losing electricity, she said. It was troublesome at home and at the store, especially for their frozen seafood products.
Part of Tavios’ preparations have included acceptance of whatever will happen.
“We just pray,” she said.
Still, some sights Tuesday showed people were getting ready.
Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu boarded up its windows. Other food stores took their own preparations, including Wiki-Wiki Mart in Naalehu, the gas station at Wong Yuen Store in Waiohinu and Malama Market in Ocean View. Some people were filling up water bottles in Waiohinu Park and duct tape was plastered across the windows of Malama Market.
The tape is most of the work they’ll do at Will and Grace’s, Tavios said.
“We want to be open so people can buy food,” she said.
Email Graham Milldrum at gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com.
