Ocean View Residents Turn Gas Station Into Relief Hub for 5,000 After Hurricane Lala
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18
Ocean View Residents Turn Gas Station Into Relief Hub for 5,000 After Hurricane Lala
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18
Summary
Two days after Hurricane Lala, Ocean View residents converted the Ocean View Market gas station into a volunteer relief center for nearby rural communities still cut off from basic services.
Thousands in the Ka'u district remained without electricity, mobile phone service and gas, leaving the Route 11 outpost to fill urgent gaps in information, supplies and communications.
Tim Reed, 55, used a satellite link to run a mobile radio station from the parking lot, broadcasting available resources and offering Starlink internet access so residents could contact the outside world.
The effort underscored how the remote community of fewer than 5,000 improvised its own response after Hawaii's worst storm in years left southern Big Island communities isolated.