The bathroom floor
I woke up on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night, covered in a thin blanket with a small white dog named Cuba curled up at my side.
I could still hear the wind outside. I got up and crawled into bed next to Tim. Hours earlier the wind and rain had been so loud, it sounded like waves crashing over the house. We could hear eucalyptus tree branches and bark bouncing off the roof. I thought it was time to retreat to the smallest room in the house, always the safest during a hurricane. Tim thought I was being overly cautious but I didn’t feel safe in the bedroom.
reenactment
Hurricane season
We had spent most of that morning securing the last bits and bobs that might fly away during the tropical storm that was headed our way. Hurricane Iselle made the news the whole week leading up to this day. We weren’t sure what to expect, we had never been in the tropics during hurricane season. We had listened to the experts and prepared as much as we could. Securing enough food for the two of us, the dog, two cats and five chickens for five days in case we lost power and the roads weren’t navigable because of fallen trees and debris. We had put away all lawn furniture and anything else that might become a projectile. Gathered candles and blankets and filled containers with water. We were ready.
When the weather started to turn
Phone calls home
Around noon the winds had picked up but the actual storm wasn’t expected until nine that night. Tim called his parents to inform them that we would contact them as soon as it was all over to let them know we were ok. I called my mom but didn’t talk about the storm for fear of worrying her.
At 7:30 pm the internet conked out and by 9:00 pm there was no power. Having relied on the internet and TV for entertainment for more than a decade, we had to resort to memories of the olden days when people played games and musical instruments to pass the time. Tim strummed his ukulele and we played with Cuba the dog. Soon after we went to bed, Cuba snuggled between us for safety.
The lights came back on but the internet didn’t come back and the storm didn’t let up until I awoke on the bathroom floor. In my groggy state I assumed it was safe to get back in bed and fell asleep, the small white dog still at my side.
Around 9pm
Pele Hawaiian volcano goddess
I got up in the early morning and walked the property to assess the damage. No real damage other than an old tree dropping a few branches. A plum tree succumbing to the beating of the wind and laying on its side but still attached at the trunk. Eucalyptus bark strewn across the lawn.
Still without internet, we caught up on writing and sorting photos, did some cooking and started cleaning up the property.
Some weren’t as lucky as us, it took days for a few neighbours to have their power restored and it will take even longer for all the damage to be repaired on Big Island. They say Pele was at work, slowing down the storm with the volcanoes, to protect the islands. They may be right, the destruction could have been much worse. If it was the great Pele’s doing, thank you for getting us through our first tropical storm.
Nat, I grew up in the SE US and have lived on the coast (during a few hurricanes) they are pretty scary and can easily move on and off the shore only to return even stronger so you did well by being so prepared. No worries about the floor, although I’m sure you have a bruise or two from sleeping there.
I would love to be trapped in a storm with a fab chef like Tom though. Good eats make scary stuff better. Glad you’re both doing well.
Better safe than sorry right? I don’t know who Tom is but Tim did prepare some delicious food 😉
You should have moved the mattress into the bathroom and both slept there (comfortably), with the puppy of course.
Not big enough for the mattress plus Tim thought everything was fine so there was no way he was sleeping in the bathroom 🙂
We lived on St. Croix for years and the storms (and being prepared) become a part of life. Glad everyone came through OK. Thanks Pele!
I’m sure it would become reflex to get ready after a while.
I flew back the day of the storm in an empty plane and for some reason Kona had perfect weather and skies, the road back through the saddle was easy but it seemed like the storm had dissapated quite a bit when I arrived Puna…then i found out the power was off for days on end, yikes
Thank god it was only the power that got affected 🙂
I can’t imagine what it is like to experience a hurricane. I’m glad you and the property survived okay.
Thanks Donna!
Aloha! Your experience was more fierce than ours on Kauai. So grateful we all were spared. One casualty here: a hiker coming off the Kalalau Trail was swept away by high water at the Hanakapiai Stream. Things could have been far worse. Hopefully Puna is in recovery. And the coming systems go elsewhere.
Thanks Betsy, you’re right, it could have been much worse although it’s always sad when people die.
These storms always sound like fun until you’re actually in one and cleaning up a mess. I do like the forced disconnection every so often – and it’s a great time to catch up on reading.
You must be an adrenaline junkie, I’ve never heard of anyone describing a hurricane as fun 🙂
Love the re-enactment. I have a fluffy white-ish dog too. He’s afraid of thunder, so I have kept him company in the bathroom through many a storm. People on Oahu probably think the storm was over-hyped, but ask folks on the north end of our New Jersey beach town (Brigantine) whether Hurricane Sandy was over-hyped and they’ll tell you about the lesson they learned. The previous year there had been a mandatory evacuation for a predicted hurricane that was significantly diminished when it finally showed up, so many people pooh poohed the evacuation order the following summer when Sandy was predicted. Big mistake.
I’d rather play it safe, especially since it was our first.
Interesting account. I was in Hawaii for my son’s wedding a while back, on Molokai, when a hurricane threatened to the point that some guests cancelled. We got on the last flight in before cancellations. Once we were on the island, everything was sublime. Luckily the hurricane skipped over and the wedding went on. BTW, FYI, one of your ads starts “talking” and is very annoying, enough so that I considered abandoning ship. Fortunately, I found it before I left and clicked off the sound.
thanks for letting me know I had no idea that was happening.
Your narrative is as close as I want to come to such a storm! I’m glad you — and your animals — are OK!
Thanks Marilyn!
I’m glad you are all OK and had minimal damage. I have a very large walk in closet that I take a few of my cats in during the fourth of July or the bad storms we experience in Florida. Some of my cats are petrified by loud noises so I understand why you spent the night in the bathroom as I would have done the same thing to feel safer.
Haha thanks Michelle
I was in Hilton Head, South Carolina during a hurricane warning and I remember not being able to focus on anything but the weather. It’s so frightening.
So glad you are both safe and blogging!
It doesn’t help when all everybody talks about is whether you’re ready for it.