Mahalo nui for all of your kind words of concern and well being, as my family and I have appreciates them very much! As I mentioned earlier, we escaped with just about no damage at home, just a mess of leaves and branches to clean up. So very minor to what I saw yesterday. Im so very blessed by being able to do what I love for a living, mainly a nature/landscape photographer, and on occasion, a photojournalist for a wire service. Being a PJ has been given me access to events and opportunities to meet people and witness things that I wouldve never, ever imagined. Along with it comes the responsibilities of integrity, accuracy, and communicating a story through my images. Yesterday, I heard stories that I feel compelled to share with you all. Nothing earth shaking or viral worthy (lol), but if I could take a minute of your time… Hurricane Iselle had weakened a bit before finally coming ashore early Friday morning, and the majority of us can breathe a collective sigh of relief in saying that we were lucky and dodged a bullet. Yes, we did. BUT, the effects of the storm have wreaked havoc upon the lives of many residents in the Puna district. And in other areas too. Thousands are still without power, while dozens, maybe hundreds, are still not able to leave their homes because of blocked roadways. Disgustingly, Ive been hearing and reading comments about how officials have once again over exaggerated the situation and spent public funds for nothing. What??? I believe we should be thankful for the near miss, AND all the efforts of the National Weather Service, Central Pacific Hurricane Center, County of Hawaii, Hawaii County Civil Defense, and the media in preparing us for it. Meanwhile, we need to keep the residents that were truly affected by Hurricane Iselle in our thoughts and prayers. Its going to be quite some time for their lives to return back to normal. I had the privilege of talking story with the guys in the first photo, Anthony, Shaun, Thearl, and Aaron. In the most impressive display of community, they helped clear one of the major roadblocks on Kahakai Blvd, by cutting and moving pieces of a very large albizia tree that had fallen across the roadway. County road crews had their hands full working to clear the major thoroughfares, so side streets had to wait. These guys took it upon themselves to make things happen. : ) They also shared stories of how they were making do with what they had, such as sharing the use of a generator with his neighbors to keep the contents of their refrigerators cold. True aloha and community!!! I mua!!! During the course of my shooting, also came across papaya fields that were thoroughly flattened by the high winds. Cant imagine what the farmers are going through, as these trees were fruit laden, and top heavy. To lose a productive field at this point has to be devastating. : ( Lastly, promise (lol), I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Bulosan and his mom, who live on Hwy 132. Their house was nearly missed by a 70 to 80 foot albizia, but still sits within reach of an even taller one. He said that theyve been voicing concern over these trees for years, but have never been taken seriously. They were left listening to the thunderous snapping of hundreds of trees throughout the storm. They feared for their lives. I think its time to do something about these trees. Seriously. (stepping onto my soapbox now) I, myself, have voiced concern over this highly invasive specie, as this tree alone has been changing the face of our landscape. It spreads so darn fast, and grows so darn rapidly, that were seeing it destroy our native forests and flora in a passive aggressive manner. Because its growth rate is so rapid, 10-20 feet per year, its canopy covers our native growth in no time. And because many of our endemic species require full sun, they are shaded to death. I dont know what the solution is, and I know itll be really expensive, but I do know that the cost of dealing with the result of non-action will be even more costly in terms of dollars, and maybe potentially in lives. Albizias are not just a nuisance, they are an invasive pest. About a decade ago, I met this arborist that worked for HECO, and he was telling me of how he was proud of saving a specimen albizia by rerouting a transmission line. I remember the Sierra Club trying to save the albizias along H-2 several years ago. I also hear about how some oppose the removal of the trees that line the Pahoa-Kapoho road because that would change the character of the drive. Yes, the trees may be pretty, but guess what? The road was NOT like that when it was constructed. Our native landscape NEVER included albizias. After shooting all of the destruction left in the wake of Iselle, roughly 95% of the toppled trees were albizias. Im left to wonder, what wouldve this all looked like had albizias not been introduced? Could most of the damage been prevented?? (getting off the soapbox now…) My thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by the devastation, and mahalo nui loa to those that are assisting those in need!!! And, mahalo ke Akua for keeping all of us safe!!!! PS. Thats my bruddah and business partner in the third photo, operating the Cat loader. : )
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 22:19:46 +0000
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