The Big Island Got Slammed, Not Oahu
As I tap out this post, I can hear the rain pinging off of my tile roof here in Kaneohe. I live on the Windward side of Oahu where it tends to rain almost every day, so I’m used to this. But the rain falling tonight is not from the usual fronts that move in throughout the night, but the remnants of Hurricane Lane.
It’s been less than 24 hours since Hurricane Lane was downgraded to a depression, and everyone in the State is exhaling a bit. No one here panicked that much, to be honest. I didn’t storm into Costco to get any supplies, didn’t sandbag my house, fill up my gas tank, or covered up my windows with plywood. For some reason, most of the locals, like myself, had a feeling that once Hurricane Lane would hit those cold waters and wind shear, it would break up. And that’s exactly what happened.
Some locals couldn’t pass up the surfing opportunity.
Here on Oahu, we only got a few showers. For the Big Island and Maui, Hurricane Lane was no joke.
Did Hurricane Lane affect any ceremonies of mine? Most definitely.
On the day Hurricane Lane was supposed to make landfall on Oahu, I had a surprise vow renewal. Meteorologists were expecting the worst, so to be on the safe side, even though I disagreed, I moved the vow renewal three days forward to the 26th. A client of mine who had their wedding planned for the 28th had a small concern that she wouldn’t be able to fly in on the weekend. Flights to Hawaii are no longer canceled, so her ceremony is still on. My last client of the month on the 30th, who is in the military, was scared that his unit would leave Oahu before his ceremony. They did leave but allowed him to stay back. So all-in-all, everything worked out. While Hurricane Lane made its 6mph jog toward our islands, I was in constant contact with all of my affected couples; mapping out unique plans to make sure we could still accomplish their dream wedding.
I wish I could sit here and tell you that I have a plan for your wedding in the scenario when a hurricane scores a direct hit on Oahu. But other than rescheduling, there’s nothing else we can do. If a hurricane hits on your wedding day, you need to hunker down in your hotel and be VERY understanding about it. If you can’t be understanding about that, then I honestly don’t want you as a client. And yes, I’ve had some unreasonable clients, like a bride who wanted me to move the sun! It would not be difficult for me to imagine a scenario where a bridezilla would demand that I move a hurricane. So if you’re that unreasonable, you can take a hike straight to the nearest mental institution.
Direct hurricane strikes on Oahu is very rare, but that doesn’t mean a sideswipe won’t affect us. High-Winds can blow roofs off and heavy rains can cause flash floods that are so severe, it would sweep your car into the ocean. In many cases, the weather directly before and after a hurricane is really great. Rest assured, that if Mother Nature has different plans for your wedding, I’ll devise up a plan that will make you safe and happy. More than likely, we just have to move your wedding date either forward or backward.
Steve Young
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