What have we learned from this storm. (Iselle)

[kalakoa]

Is your skull fragile because it can be split open by a falling albizia branch?

Yes: my skull is like the HELCO "grid" in that it is a single point of failure....

[Kapohocat]

My experience is that solar off grid did the best. Multiple chain saws on hand is really important too. Back up generator is also important in case #1 genny breaks.

We are duplicating in our new house the solar system my hubby put in for Da Banana Boys, block building and all.

[geochem]

quote:

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Originally posted by pahoated

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa
that the power grid is fragile.

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The lesson should be that this island is prone to earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, typhoons, and eruptions. Disaster preparedness should be a top priority. The second is that albizia is an introduced and invasive species, that eradication of this invasive needs to be raised in priority and funding. Eradication of invasive species would start solving many problems.

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Ditto on most of this Pahoated - but I'd also add: preparedness begins with ME - I do feel bad for folks that are suffering now, but the damage resulting from the albizia should be no surprise to anyone. How many of those now complaining bitterly actually went out and, just for fun, killed some albizias on their property? It's not hard - just girdle them - I killed every albizia on my lot within weeks of closing on it.

Very simple solution to the albizia problem, a new ordinance: if an albizia on your property damages the power grid, you get to pay for the repairs... Try getting that passed.

[missydog1]

I've learned that I'm too addicted to power in one form or another. I like having it and most don't so well without it.

I was thinking a couple days ago of how back in the 70's I lived off the grid for a while, before there was solar energy to be had. One place on the Olympic Peninsula was an old homestead that had no wiring or plumbing, no plug outlets in the whole house, was built in the 1800's and never updated. If we wanted to make a call we drove 20 minutes into town or just looked for whoever it was in case they were in town too.

No refrigerator. (When we camped we would do stuff like submerge beer in a stream to get it cold.) Water at the house was a well dug in the ground and we pulled water up in a tin bucket tied to a rope, boiled it on the stove before using. Heat was propane, as was stove. Bathroom was an outhouse and a jug of water and a basin for washing. Light was kerosene lamps. Music was a 12-volt car stereo and a battery (if charged), and a guitar.

Groceries we got once a week and showers were at the state park where you paid for each 5 minutes of hot water. Our road was a muddy track through the woods along the edge of a river, that no one ever maintained. Reading was done in the daylight hours. Evening we had conversation.
Power and water outages had no meaning to us. A tree falling on the house would have been bad, but the house was in a big clearing so that couldn't happen.

It poured rain most every day and there were actually mushrooms growing on the walls inside the house. And there were mice. We needed a cat badly. Those things bothered me.

I do want to get a solar backup going, but ultimately that's so I don't have to deal with my addiction to running things with plugs and batteries to be charged, things I lived without 40 years ago, even though I had a toddler and another on the way.

I'm really spoiled now compared to my younger self, I admit it.

[MarkP]

A good friend in Eden Roc gets grid power from off-island neighbors. He essentially pays their minimum payment. Anyway he was always a little uncomfortable about being at their whim should they decide to do something else and since he is not in a position either permit-wise or monetarily to hook up himself he and I egged each other on to put in solar systems. I provided him with an old UPS for his inverter, we and a third friend went in together on a pallet of panels, that sort of thing. His set-up is identical to mine except that he has only installed three panels so far. Anyway his brother thought he was crazy for installing a stand alone system when he had such a functional deal with the neighbors. Then came the storm and my friend just kept on truckin'. He wasn't even sure when the power went off because the UPS did its job and switched over automatically. He had power for a week when others didn't.

My friend is NOT a wealthy person but he made this a priority even when others thought he was "crazy".

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Long read article on Civil Beat about Puna's "15 Minutes of Fame."

Longtime locals were hardly surprised by the forces that overtook them. Past storms and eruptions haven’t just shaped the topography of the region, they have helped to shape locals. Many residents of a district famous for its back-to-the-land hippies have often shown they know how to care for themselves. They do it through a combination of resourcefulness and coming together locally, while expecting little from big-shot decision makers in Honolulu.
http://www.civilbeat.com/2014/08/puna-15...-frontier/

[pahoated]

The ancient Hawaiians knew Puna was prone to disasters and it was sparsely populated from South Point up into Hilo. A missionary that went through in the early 1800's estimated the entire population to be about 10,000, just before the measles epidemic. Most of the population was up around Waikaloa, apparently when it wasn't as dry. Also, the Hawaiian civilization was designed with everything being totally portable, including their heiau and hale. They were made to be as strong and durable as possible but also able to be totally abandoned when necessary. It worked for them for over 1,000 years.

"We come in peace!" - First thing said by missionaries and extraterrestrials

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

One of the largest population centers on the Big Island during the 1800's was a stretch of villages in Puna: Keauhou, Paki and Ha'ena between the northern end of Government Beach Road and Shipman Beach. You can still see rock walls, building foundations, coconut groves, and other signs of human habitation along the hiking trail:

http://www.planetpuna.com/Puna%20Trails%...0Puna2.htm

[opihikao]

We have learned not to wait for government. We do it ourselves, until they get there. If they do. (Waiting patiently for FEMA to approve funds.)

Please file some sort of loss, if you have any at all, to make sure we get federal assistance.

I'm also writing OHA for a helping hand, since they receive the geothermal royalites from our community. It would be the right thing for OHA to assist in rebuilding Puna. (Sorry, swayed off topic.)

JMO.

[macuu222]

That we''re in good hands with Allstate!. Fastest damage claim settlement I've ever experienced. They even printed the claim check right after the inspection.