In the immediate days following Hurricane Lowell, power was out for approximately 90% of the island, some roads were impassable, some hotels were flooded, etc. Residents and businesses were cleaning debris and assessing damages. Hurricanes cause chaos and that’s what Kauai just experienced. (See examples of some of the damages in our initial Lowell aftermath post.)
While some recovery work will be ongoing, much of the island is back up and running. Power has been restored for 98% of customers as of the most recent report on September 22. Most hotels and restaurants are back in business. Kauai’s determination to recover has been quite impressive.
Last week, I shared the official advice from the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) from September 15. Further to that advice, on September 17, Kauai’s Mayor Derek Kawakami posted a helpful video, which I have embedded below. I had originally embedded the Mayor’s post in an update to the previously mentioned September 15 HTA advice article. The messaging is so important that I felt like it needed to be repeated in this solo article.
The top line messaging is that:
- Visitors are welcome.
- Visitors should be mindful that they may encounter traffic delays and local road closures.
- Visitors should be understanding that many families were affected by the storm and are still very much in active recovery mode.
- Visitors should be flexible, patient, and respectful.
- To offer help, go to KauaiRecovers.org.
For further updates, check out the County of Kauai Facebook page.
Sheila Beal
