As heavy rains continue to batter Hawaii, families trying to escape the region because of the resulting floods got a surprising saviour in the form of big wave surfing legend Laird Hamilton who had taken to the water in a boat he owned.
For the Gwilliams, the surprise was a welcome one as Erin Gwilliam said she didn’t feel safe in leaving the Kauai vacation rental they had been stuck at without running water for two days. CNN affiliate KHNL reports a deluge washed out a bridge, cutting off the family from safety.
“He just said, ‘You know what? As long as I can get people out, I’m going to get people out,’ because nobody else could. He just said, ‘Pass the kids down, and pass the luggage down, and let’s go.”
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Her children said they too were scared of what was happening around them.
“It was kind of scary and I just wanted to go home,” Gwilliam’s daughter Elin told NBC.
As of Thursday, parts of Kauai have received almost five-and-a-half feet of rain with half having fallen in only 48 hours. Hundreds had been stranded with no way out while hundreds more have been forced to evacuate, but Hamilton told CNN he had been co-ordinating rescues after the rain caused mudslides and power outages where he lives, getting up at 4 a.m. each day.
The pro surfer said he’s co-ordinated and conducted more than 75 rescues.
But Hamilton says he doesn’t want credit.
“It’s hard to conceive that that much water could come from the sky. And I mean, it was like an ocean back there,” he said.
“If you have compassion, this is what you do. These are opportunities to make a difference.”
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In addition to the Gwilliams, Hamilton also rescued 15 girls from a fellow surfer’s home, and his boat launch was lent to the National Guard to use as a departure point.
According to CNN, Hamilton and his friends even helped rescue approximately 80 bison.
The rain’s not over yet
The National Weather Service has a flash flood watch still in effect for the entire state of Hawaii until 6 p.m. Friday.
Though flooding is not unusual for the area, the rainstorms have been something Hamilton said he hasn’t seen before.
“The power, the length and the strength of this: It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” he said.
CBS reports another two to three inches of rain could be seen in the next 36 hours.
Even facing the weather they’ve seen, Hamilton said there is a resilience being exhibited that’s common for the state.
“In Hawaii, we have a word called ‘ohana.’ It means family,” he said. “Family and friends banding together. It’s a pretty wonderful thing.”
The governor of Hawaii, David Ige, has declared Kauai a disaster area.
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