Author Archives: Bianca Moragne

Molokai Unscathed by Double Header Storm

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

As two hurricanes headed for Hawaii last week in a historic double threat, Molokai residents joined the state in launching into preparation mode. Schools and businesses closed, Red Cross shelters opened and families scrambled to stock up with food and water. While Molokai escaped relatively unscathed, other parts of the state were not so protected. Hawaii Island, where tropical cyclone Iselle made landfall Thursday night, as well as Maui, received significant damages.

At its strongest, Iselle was a Category Four hurricane clocking 140 miles per hour sustained winds across the Pacific. By the time it hit Hawaii Island late Thursday, it had downgraded to a tropical storm.…

Hazmat Training Brings Home Local Boy

Friday, August 8th, 2014

Community Contributed

By David Lichtenstein

For Kimo Puailihau, giving back to Molokai means helping his home island better prepare for a potential hazardous materials emergency.

Puailihau — a 2001 Molokai High School graduate — has returned annually to Molokai for the past five years as a training coordinator with the 93rd Civil Support Team (CST) of the Hawaii National Guard. His team helps Molokai’s first responders get ready for the worst-case “what if” scenarios involving hazardous materials.

Whether the threat is chemical, biological or radiological, Puailihau and his team are ready to respond. When a strange chemical or other unknown material is found, first responders on Molokai will call the Hazmat 10 Team on Maui.…