Showing posts with label Iselle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iselle. Show all posts
10 August 2014
08 August 2014
The morning after Iselle
Yesterday the faithful throughout the State of Hawaii and throughout the world prayed to God Almighty, imploring that "the stilling of fearsome storms
may turn a powerful menace
into an occasion for us to praise you." This morning I am pleased to say these were heard and favorably answered.
The National Weather Service feared Iselle would pass between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea and continue across the Big Island. We were told to prepare for the worst and the Iselle would - without a doubt - pass directly over the island of Hawaii. This morning the National Weather Service reports that the two mountains broke up the storm and sent it mostly south of the Big Island because, as one NWS meteorologist said, these storms "don't like land." One might wonder why that wasn't mentioned yesterday. Another meteorologist described is as "the epic battle between geography and weather;" geography clearly won.
As is often the case, the terrible predictions of the meteorologists came to nothing (or at least nowhere near what they foretold). It is one thing to encourage people to prepared and quite another to incite fear and panic.
There are reports of one roof being torn off a building by strong winds last night and rainfalls of about eight inches across the island (though one area of the Big Island received closer to twelve inches of rain). Some power lines were taken out by falling branches, some of which fell across roads, and some areas have some flooding. I have heard no reports of any deaths, or even of any injuries. All is not well, but we are certainly not in a great disaster zone.
Here on the west side of Hawaii, we had some wind (though I see no signs of any damage or even of fallen branches or flowers) and some rain, though I can't imagine we received anywhere close to eight inches. The mountains protected the Kona side of the Big Island from the hurricane, just as the locals said it would all along. This morning the clouds are heavy and thick, but I awoke to the sound of roosters calling for the sun. About fifteen people came to Mass this morning because, as one parishioner told me before Mass, "we had to come to praise God."
Iselle was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early this morning and now continues on the way by the other islands in the chain. The models indicated that the trajectory of Julio will take that hurricane north of the islands and shouldn't pose too much of a threat to us.
The National Weather Service feared Iselle would pass between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea and continue across the Big Island. We were told to prepare for the worst and the Iselle would - without a doubt - pass directly over the island of Hawaii. This morning the National Weather Service reports that the two mountains broke up the storm and sent it mostly south of the Big Island because, as one NWS meteorologist said, these storms "don't like land." One might wonder why that wasn't mentioned yesterday. Another meteorologist described is as "the epic battle between geography and weather;" geography clearly won.
As is often the case, the terrible predictions of the meteorologists came to nothing (or at least nowhere near what they foretold). It is one thing to encourage people to prepared and quite another to incite fear and panic.
There are reports of one roof being torn off a building by strong winds last night and rainfalls of about eight inches across the island (though one area of the Big Island received closer to twelve inches of rain). Some power lines were taken out by falling branches, some of which fell across roads, and some areas have some flooding. I have heard no reports of any deaths, or even of any injuries. All is not well, but we are certainly not in a great disaster zone.
Here on the west side of Hawaii, we had some wind (though I see no signs of any damage or even of fallen branches or flowers) and some rain, though I can't imagine we received anywhere close to eight inches. The mountains protected the Kona side of the Big Island from the hurricane, just as the locals said it would all along. This morning the clouds are heavy and thick, but I awoke to the sound of roosters calling for the sun. About fifteen people came to Mass this morning because, as one parishioner told me before Mass, "we had to come to praise God."
Iselle was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early this morning and now continues on the way by the other islands in the chain. The models indicated that the trajectory of Julio will take that hurricane north of the islands and shouldn't pose too much of a threat to us.
The evening before Iselle
It rained here in Holualoa a few hours ago for about 15 minutes and has been strangely still since. This sleepy village sits some 1,300 feet above sea level, yet there is barely a breeze at the present moment. The only sound is the chirping (it isn't really a croaking) of the Coqui frogs.
About 6:45 p.m. (almost an hour and a half ago), I happened to look out the kitchen window and was surprised to see a beautiful sunset:
After the Noon Mass, the transitional deacon and I headed out to make two visits to very ill parishioners who asked to be anointed with the Oil of the Sick. We returned to the parish about 3:00 p.m. and already within those four hours, cabin fever set in. I've never been a patient waiter and decided to go for a evening walk while one could still be had. It could be a very long couple of days, especially since I do not know anyone on this island (at least not yet).
As the sun was setting over the Big Island, the moon was rising over Holualoa. At this moment, hurricane Iselle still has not made landfall on the east side of the island. The storm seems to be weakening and no longer has an eye. While this is promising, we still aren't, as it were, out of the woods yet.
About 6:45 p.m. (almost an hour and a half ago), I happened to look out the kitchen window and was surprised to see a beautiful sunset:
After the Noon Mass, the transitional deacon and I headed out to make two visits to very ill parishioners who asked to be anointed with the Oil of the Sick. We returned to the parish about 3:00 p.m. and already within those four hours, cabin fever set in. I've never been a patient waiter and decided to go for a evening walk while one could still be had. It could be a very long couple of days, especially since I do not know anyone on this island (at least not yet).
As the sun was setting over the Big Island, the moon was rising over Holualoa. At this moment, hurricane Iselle still has not made landfall on the east side of the island. The storm seems to be weakening and no longer has an eye. While this is promising, we still aren't, as it were, out of the woods yet.
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