'We woke up to total devastation': Utah family details Kauai hurricane experience
by Shelby Lofton ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- A St. George family faced Hurricane Lowell during a Kauai vacation.
- They sheltered in place, witnessing devastation and aiding in cleanup efforts.
- Despite travel delays and canceled flights, they praised the community's kindness.
KAUAI, Hawaii — What began as a dream vacation in Hawaii turned into an unforgettable experience for a St. George family after Hurricane Lowell swept across Kauai, leaving widespread damage, power outages and major travel disruptions.
Angaleza Adams and 16 relatives, including her children and grandchildren, were staying at an Airbnb on Kauai's north shore when they learned the hurricane was approaching. "We got word of the hurricane. We were a little worried," Adams said.
As the storm moved through the island, the family sheltered in place and listened to powerful winds outside. "It was crazy. Trees were cracking," Adams said.
At times, the family feared the storm would break into the home. "We were afraid the doors were going to rip open," she said.
The family lost power for days. When they went outside, they were stunned by the destruction left behind.
"We woke up to total devastation," said family member Rocky Bunker. "You couldn't drive. Power lines were down."
The family pitched in to help residents clean up storm damage.
"(Rocky) was on the roof of two of the local houses right next to us finding pieces of their roof that were had blown away out into the fields and then helped put them back," Adams said.
The storm dramatically changed parts of the landscape they had admired only days earlier.
"It used to be this thick, beautiful jungle, and now it's just sticks," Adams said.
When it came time to return home Thursday, the family's troubles continued at the airport.
The airport was operating with limited power and relying on one aging generator.
With only one Transportation Security Administration screening line open, travelers faced long delays as power repeatedly cycled on and off.
"Every time the power would go down, I think it would take like 20 to 30 minutes to reboot up the X-ray, and the power go out within like every 20 minutes to 45 minutes," Bunker said.
After spending hours waiting in line, the family's flight was canceled.
With many nearby hotels booked, the group spent the night inside the airport.
"They sent us a warning last night that our new travel dates could be anytime from today to the 20th," Adams said. "Then they said that all the flights were booked for a week, but we called them, and we got in line."
The family was able to rebook for Friday. Despite the frustration, family members said they were moved by the generosity they witnessed throughout the ordeal.
"You'll see a bunch of destruction, but you don't see all of the random acts of kindness," Bunker said. "Everyone giving each other high fives or hugs or sharing extra diapers."
They also praised airport employees and local residents who continued helping travelers and neighbors while dealing with storm damage of their own back at home.
Although the hurricane changed the course of their vacation, the family said the compassion they experienced on Kauai is what they will remember most.
"It was unfortunate, obviously, going through the hurricane," Bunker said, "but we wouldn't change it because it was such a great experience for us to learn so many lessons to be more prepared. Everyone was so nice and kind."
While they are eager to return to Washington County and sleep in their own beds, they said the island's recovery remains on their minds.
The Hawaii State Tourism Authority sent out an alert asking visitors to reschedule their trip to Kauai or consider going to another island while hurricane cleanup is ongoing.
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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Shelby Lofton
Shelby Lofton is an award-winning reporter who covers everything from crime to courts across the state for KSL 5 News at 10. She has a passion for stories about humanity coming together.