Kekaha flooding again
Thank you to those that took action to alleviate flooding in west side of Kekaha during the late morning of March 17, 2020. Residents envisioned returns of the floods from 2004-2006. Calls were made to every government office and official people could contact, within three hours the flooding had crested and damage minimized.
Too bad we had to get to this point as it is known by all if the drainage ditches are not opened to ensure adequate flow of the water coming off the mountain does not buildup in the fields between the residents and the mountains. Damage to some property occurred and that is unfortunate, please in the future remember to take timely action and not have any property damage.
Bruce Newport-Kilauano, Kekaha
Doctor horrified by large gatherings
I am a visitor to Kaua‘i.
Since the 1980s I have spent from one to eight weeks here annually, and arrived this year in mid-February, before the heightened concerns with COVID-19.
As a physician, I am encouraged by the actions of Hawai‘i’s governor and Kaua‘i’s mayor.
I also applaud the actions of resorts, local markets, restaurants and small businesses in assuming the financial burden of protecting the public health.
However, I am shocked, saddened and frightened by the cavalier behavior of both visitors and islanders in disregarding social distancing. As two examples, from my second-story lanai I see grandparents interacting with youngsters and the ongoing beach gatherings of extended families.
I fear this is a recipe for a true disaster on an island with so much coming and going and with limited medical facilities.
I would love to see the island I consider a second home be a paradigm of of how to “flatten the curve” rather than become a repeat of the Italian experience.
Michael Hudson, MD, Bend, Oregon
The danger of curfew
We should question the authority of the mayor to place the entire Island population under house arrest; which is precisely what this 9 p.m. curfew is. First of all, what physical purpose does it serve, when we are free to move about by day—up to 8:59 p.m.? None.
More important is the infringement on our Constitutional liberties. Remember, The Constitution is the SUPREME Law of the Land, written by the People for the government to obey. Any regulations contrived by government that defies our Constitution are null and void from the start. So, the mayor, governor, president or any other elected (or unelected) government official has NO authority to impose a curfew on us.
Personally, I rarely go out after 9 p.m. Though I believe I will start making a point of it. Note, Mayor Caldwell has not imposed a curfew on Oahu residents; where this virus thing is most likely to spread. That’s because he knows there is no way he can enforce it. He’s scared. And justifiably so.
We are living in very dangerous times. Not because of this nightmare virus from China, but because governments across the nation are exploiting this “crises” to shred The Bill of Rights, which so many have bled and died for in wars to secure and defend it.
We should ask: “What happens next year, when flu season comes around/” This Wuhan virus may sicken us or kill us. Though after, in either case, we will be immune to it. Our children, on the other hand, will never be immune to the whims of a dictatorial government if we allow it to settle in. The choice is ours.
Richard Morse, Kilauea
Richard, while many of us strongly agree with the principal of freedom, and your comments, there is another side to this story. We are fighting an invisible army. An army that is killing our senior citizens. Every minute of people not congregating in groups is a weapon against the virus. We need all the weapons we can get, especially on a small Island with very little resources. If Kauai became a hotbed, which is highly possible, our facilities are not nearly adequate to care for everyone who has the right to good medical care. The curfew is Constitutional in a time of war. It is our County leaders firing an important weapon against the virus that will help curtail it’s spread to all of us. This is as close to all out war as you will hopefully get in your lifetime!
IRT Mr Morse,
So what would you rather have? The virus spread like wildfire? Infecting everyone including our high risk individuals? So do tell Mr Morse on how we the people should handle this pandemic? Since you think that this is infringing on our civil liberties? Do tell Mr Morse how to handle this crisis? Seems like your civil liberties are more important then the health of our community. This curfew is for a short time, until things get under control. But hey if you have a better idea on what to do lets hear it! Mayor Kawakami is doing his best to keep Kauai safe from this pandemic. We have 3 cases so far, lets try and keep it that way. Now if the curfew was implemented for something else then it would be a different story. The health and well being of out communities must come first. I don’t know about you but i have elderly parents, and if they ever get this virus , they could die from it. So, Mr Morse what say you? Do you have a better way to flatten the curve for the rate of infection for COVID19? KAUAI IS ALL EARS!!!!
Doc, if you were so concerned about the coronavirus, you wouldn’t BE HERE!
RE: Richard Morse:
“Note, Mayor Caldwell has not imposed a curfew on Oahu residents.”
Really? They have a ‘stay at home order’ 24/7 as of 4pm today. As does Maui.
“Personally, I rarely go out after 9 p.m. Though I believe I will start making a point of it.”
This is NOT the time to be acting like a defiant child! We need all our emergency responders to remain as healthy as possible in case this does get out of hand.
“What happens next year, when flu season comes around/”
Obviously you still haven’t grasped the severity of this virus, nor how fast it can spread and kill. Educate yourself, this is not just the flu.
Currently Wilcox Hospital has a total of 9 ICU beds, and 18 respirators = a spit in the bucket. In Italy they’ve had to chose who gets a respirator and who dies because it’s out of control. As of today they have 63,927 confirmed cases = the majority of our population! Their most recent death tolls: Friday 627, Saturday 793, Sunday 651.
“We are living in very dangerous times. Not because of this nightmare virus from China, but because governments across the nation are exploiting this crises to shred The Bill of Rights, which so many have bled and died for in wars to secure and defend it.”
This has NOTHING to do with control, nor shredding any The Bill of Rights. How absolutely naive of you. This is about COOPERATION. IF you can’t cooperate for your own sake, then put your ego aside and do it for the rest of us!
Richard, the “physical purpose” of the curfew is preservation of county resources. As an example, if people are home by 9pm, there’s going to be less car accidents, which means less people going to the ER/hospital, which means more resources to devote towards preparing for a possible flu outbreak on Kauai. Feel free to continue wearing your tinfoil hat, but you might want to do yourself a favor and take a step back. We currently don’t have leadership in this country, the President* only cars about the economic damage the flu is going to do to his re-election campaign. He doesn’t care about you. Mayor Derek does and he’s doing his best. By the way, Oahu and Maui both stepped up now and enacted even more restrictive measures.
Now is PAST TIME to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove this ‘president’ immediately!
He is causing thousands, soon million of deaths in country…how is this not genocide?
Please stock up on your medications.