RON:
REP. TULSI GABBARD WAS ON KAUAI
FROM
THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY TO
ASSIST
WITH RECOVERY EFFORTS AFTER THE
RECORD-SETTING STORM WIPED OUT
MANY HOMES AND LOCAL BUSINESSES
AND LEFT COMMUNITIES
ISOLATED.
SHE IS BACK ON OAHU THIS MORNING
AND JOINS US WITH AN UPDATE AND
ASSESSMENT...
GOOD MORNING CONGRESSWOMAN...
YOU ARRIVED FROM DC ON THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND WENT STRAIGHT TO
KAUAI...AND THE EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS CENTER?
RON:
REP. GABBARD:
EOC Briefing Thursday night with
first
responders from around the state
working on
rescue and recovery missions.
The congresswoman began Friday
morning at the
EOC with an update from Kauai
County and
State Emergency Management
leaders,
then collected supplies before
heading out to
Hanalei.
YOU SAW THE DEVASTATION WITH
YOUR OWN EYES AND MET WITH
RESIDENTS
WHO ARE SUFFERING BUT SHOWING A
TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESILIENCE
AND ALOHA.
RON:
REP. GABBARD:
Visited with community leaders
like Joel Guy, Megan Wong,
Mehana Vaughn, and Laird
Hamilton who have been
spearheading
recovery efforts in the area. We
walked
through some of the
neighborhoods hardest
hit, and heard from residents
and small
business owners whose properties
have been
severely damaged. Visited with
Soldiers in
the Hawai'i Army National Guard
in
Hanalei and Wainiha who are
supporting the
community and county efforts.
YOU ALSO HAD AN AERIAL TOUR OF
THE
DAMAGE? RON: REP. GABBARD:
We joined Mayor Bernard Caralho
on an
aerial tour of the damage, and
visited
Wainiha and Hena, communities
that are
isolated due to landslides.
Visited volunteers who are
distributing food and grocery
items to local residents,
drivers
delivering food to families who
cannot get
to the distribution point, the
nurses and doctor
who have just stood up an urgent
care clinic to
provide medical aid, and drove
through the areas
hardest hit. Held a meeting with
community
leaders to hear their concerns
and address
their questions.
AND THEN SATURDAY MORE FEEDBACK
AT
THE EOC? RON: REP. GABBARD:
Saturday morning at the Kauai
County EOC
Briefing to share the feedback
and concerns from residents with
government officials, then
visited with Megan Fox from
Malama Kauai at Anini Beach
where they're loading boats with
food and supplies for the
isolated communities. Visited
the operations center set up by
community volunteers, the
supplies and food being
distributed out of Waipa, and
drove as far as possible on
KkhiM Hwy which was covered by
multiple landslides, and where
workers are busy around the
clock trying to clear the roads.
AND THEN YESTERDAY -- OUT
ON IN WINDWARD OAHU? RON:
On Sunday morning, joined
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii's
Waimnalo Beach Cleanup and
Annual Earth Day Festival,
where nearly a thousand
volunteers from across
the island got to work clearing
debris and trash from the beach
that accumulated from heavy
rainfalls and flooding. I will
return to Washington, DC
tomorrow, as Congress goes back
into session on Tuesday.
KRISTINE: