Paradise Driver: 10/16/06

Monday, October 16, 2006

LUCKY I LIVE

MAU'I

The poor people on O'ahu (Honolulu) only have about 25%/30% of their power restored. Only a few of the TV stations are in operation. Cell phone service is dropping out as the battery back-up systems for the cell towers go dead. Water is becoming a problem as the storage tanks run dry and there is no electricity to operate the pumps to refill them. The Honolulu Water Department only has a few generators.

"Water, water all around and not a drop to drink"

The storm headed for Mau'i appears to be breaking up and we shouldn't get the drenchings that O'ahu and Kaua'i had.

As of this moment, there still have not been any fatalities directly linked to the quake. Which is great news. The property and infrastructure damage reports on the Big Island continue to mount. Most of the electricity on the Big Island has also been restored, except in the hardest hit areas. Reports from Kailua-Kona indicate that many of the hotels/resorts had significant impact on their facilities.

Here is a USGS map showing where the epicenter was and I've indicated where I live. Hope this helps you get a handle on the scene.

Took some TV dinners over to Judy's house tonight. Her cupboards were as bare as Mother Hubbards. Her cat, Bob, was as skittish as Bear, who is peacefully sleeping on his tower at the moment. All day long, he would jump whenever any one made a loud noise in the neighborhood.

Neither Bear nor Bob displayed any precognative reaction to the temblor. They both froze when it hit and didn't run for safety until it was over. Bear to his hiding spot under the bed and Bob into Judy's closet.

Later today you might want to checkout the on-line edition of Maui News (link in dropdown menu on sidebar). It is usually published around 10:00am my time (8:00pm UTC).

I want to thank all of you for the kind words of concern in both the comments and e-mails. It is very much appreciated.

Glad to see you back "on-line, Shadow.

The tree that someone asked about is a Banyan Tree.

Well, I've been awake for about 40 hours. Time for bed.

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Ka'anapali Beach

Silversword

Jacaranda Trees

O'heo Stream
(formerly called the
"Seven Sacred Pools")

Little Beach & Big Beach

Molokini

Kama'ole Beach

Moloka'i

Windsurfers At Ho'okipa

"Let's all be careful out there!"

NOT "GREAT"

BUT REALLY, REALLY GOOD

A pretty active Saturday night. Never left town but I did stay busy with runs the entire shift.

I logged in at the usual time and was advised that I had a "special" at 7:45 pm. Drove into Kihei and got some bottled water. The weather was still hot and humid and there was a chance that we might have some rain before dawn. Luckily, the front coming in from the northwest stalled. The islands of Kaua'i and O'ahu were getting drowned and had flash flood watches in effect

My "special" was Tony and Denyse, from the east side of the SFO Bay Area. They are seasonal regulars and are great people. Took them to the Lotus Room, a new nightclub located at The Shops At Wailea.

~Denyse & Tony~

"Doc" Kevin had the phone last night. He's a nice guy but is so intelligent that he sometimes fails to see the "Big Picture". He tends to get too engrossed in the "nuts and bolts" aspect of dispatching. Multi-tasking is not his forte and he thinks in a very linear fashion. Thats just grumbling on my part. Not everyone can dispatch the way TMR and I do.

By 10:30pm, the climate had sapped my energy and I still had another 6-1/2 hours (minimum) to go. Went home to and vegged for about 90 minutes. Came back out and took over the phone so the "Doc" could go home early. He had some important activities planned for Sunday. He and his wife run a wedding business.

He was gone by 12:30am and only TMR and myself were left. We stayed very busy. Just before 2:00am we picked up a party of 12 from the Lotus Room and took them up to Mau'i Meadows, a sub-division that straddles the eastern edge of the Kihei/Wailea boundary. These folks were part of a wedding party from the Denver, Colorado area.

TMR finally was able to get off about 2:30am and I kept busy through my "solo hours". A little after 3:00am, I received a call from the wedding party asking if I would bring them some cigarettes. I explained that I do not make deliveries but that I would pick them up and take them on a roundtrip to the closest place to buy some cancer sticks. That was acceptable and when I arrived, two guys hopped in the cab and wanted to go to the Mana Kai condos. After a few rounds of discussion I finally made contact with the lady who had requested the cab. She and another lady joined the two men and we headed down the hill to the condo. After dropping the guys, we went to the Union 76 gas station. They bought their smokes and I paused the timer on the meter while the three of us stopped and had a smoke. I don't allow anyone to smoke in ONE-NINE. They were vivacious. Missy is single and Meredith just had a baby girl 5 months ago. They are both from Denver. They each had had just enough alcohol to be friendly with an old fart like me, without becoming outlandish. The extended round trip took about 30 minutes and was a pleasant way to end my week.

~Missy & Meredith~

GAS PRICES

THE PICTURE GALLERY

Wai'Anapanapa State Park
Remarkable Wai'anapanapa State Park, near Hana, features lush jungle, a black sand beach, historic sites and some of Mau'i's richest blues and greens

Kama'ole Beach

Tail Of The Whale

JAWS
"Extreme surfing" championGarrett M^cNamara ventures into the terrifyingbarrel of Pe'ahi, the north shore Mau'i surf break also known as "Jaws", due to its ferocious power