By morning, the truth of the weatherman’s predictions became apparent.
Power outages and widespread road closures had led to a state of emergency. Conditions across the island had turned extremely treacherous as roadways were washed out, including some of the main highways. Debris and fallen trees joined leaning power poles…all signs this had been no ordinary storm.
Flooding impacted roads and homes across Maui, most particularly near Kihei, eating away portions of the surrounding roads and leaving almost no shoulder past the bridge near the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Hours after the wind calmed and the downpour settled to a light and steady rain, most of the island remained without power. Displaced residents were taken in and Ori’s Ka Hale a Ke Ola Resource Center was overflowing.
The most dangerous situations were the multiple mudslides, which caused Ava and Mig great concern as they headed out with the others to assess the impact the storm had on Pali Maui and the surrounding mountainside behind the pineapple plantation.
What they found was gut-wrenching. The ravenous rain and wind had indeed wreaked havoc.
The roof on Na Ka’Oi had sprung a leak. Incoming rain had damaged both the kitchen and the dining area in Jon’s restaurant.
A minor mudslide had taken out nearly all of Jon and Katie’s landscaping around their newly-built home.
A downed tree had blocked the entrance to the gift shop and another limb had gone through a glass window knocking over a display of pineapple-motif mugs and glassware, shattering most of the pieces.
Strong winds had lifted a sheath of metal from the building where Mig stored his precious Chevy Bel Air and had thrown it into the side of his car. Upon seeing the ugly dent, Mig swallowed back emotion. “It’s just a material thing. It can be fixed.”
Ava’s pool was filled with mud and debris. Her landscaping looked like the Loch Ness monster had strolled through, stopping casually to chomp off the tops off her islands of paradise and her canna lilies. Surrounding plumeria trees were stripped of blooms and mud seeped into the tile grout where her outdoor kitchen was located.
Like Mig said, everything was material and could be replaced and restored. Still, the storm had left an ugly mess. The scene was heartbreaking.
“Oh, Mom,” Katie muttered as she surveyed the damage.
Shane shook his head. “Man, who knew wind could do all this?”
An incoming text from Aiden assured Ava he had made it through the emergency unscathed, even if exhausted. There had been car accidents, water rescues and lots of emergency transports to hospitals and the shelter.
More importantly, he’d checked in on Elta and Alani. They were fine and so was their home, save for some minor things. The Wailea Chapel had somehow escaped suffering any damage…no doubt a result of prayers going up from the congregation.
Tom’s golf course project was perhaps the most affected. The fairways were filled with mud and debris. The sand traps were bare of sand. The water hazards filled with muddy water and flooding over. “Insurance will take care of all of this,” Tom assured Ava as she fought back tears.
“Insurance won’t cover all of the loss,” Christel noted, miserably. “There are weather hazard exclusions and a high deductible I don’t even want to think about.”
Ava drew her oldest daughter’s shoulders into a tight hug. “Our upcoming crop will bring some instant cash. It’ll be tight, but we’ll make it through,” she assured, despite her faltering conviction that everything she claimed was true.
It wasn’t until hours later that Ava discovered how wrong she’d been when Mig came tearing into the yard on his utility terrain vehicle. He came screeching to a stop and hopped off. “Ava, I have bad news.”
Her heart stopped. She waited for his report unable to breathe. “What is it, Mig?”
His face flushed. “The power…the electric fencing shut off.”
“And?” Her blood ran cold. She knew, and didn’t know, what was coming.
Mig wrung his cap in his hands. “Wild feral pigs got in to the pineapple fields. Destroyed all of the lower fields and wiped out most of our harvest.”
In that instant, Ava’s world dropped out from underneath her.