Utah Family Endures 2-Hour Gas Wait and Power Loss as Hurricane Lowell Hits Kauai
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Sep 8
Utah Family Endures 2-Hour Gas Wait and Power Loss as Hurricane Lowell Hits Kauai
3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Sep 8
Summary
Kauai vacationers from Utah lost power around 9:30 p.m. Monday as Hurricane Lowell brought nonstop heavy rain, strong wind and repeated fire alarms at their resort.
A 2-hour gas-station wait and stripped Costco shelves had already signaled the storm's severity after forecasts shifted and the family rushed to stock up on supplies.
By about 6 a.m. Tuesday, conditions eased, but the family found downed trees, roof shingles, fences and roughly six fallen power lines across an eight-mile area.
Emergency officials told residents and visitors to conserve water, and the family was still waiting to see whether its Wednesday flight home would be canceled.
Lowell was the third storm in 3 weeks to threaten Hawaii, after Hurricane Lala's mid-August flooding and Tropical Storm Moke's weaker late-August impacts.
While tourists worry about canceled flights, how will Kauai locals recover from sunken harbors and washed-out highways left by Hurricane Lowell?
With airports closed and infrastructure shattered by Hurricane Lowell, what happens to stranded tourists when paradise suddenly becomes a disaster zone?
How does a dream Hawaiian vacation become a survival test when an island loses 90 percent of its power to a sudden hurricane?