My father "Captain Flo" needs your help.

Before Hurricane Lowell, Captain Flo needed a new roof. The aftermath of the Category 2 hurricane has left my dad in an even more vulnerable situation. The leaks in his roof are larger, and we are not sure if the roof can go through another hurricane. This season, it is predicted that over 17 hurricanes will develop, and the hurricane season is being extended by two months. He is currently applying to get a senior citizen rural county grant, but we have been told that could take up to two years before he sees the money.

As a third-generation Filipino living on the island of Kaua’i, my dad, Florencio Rabut Jr., or “Captain Flo,” is in danger of losing his connection to this place he calls home. His grandmother Mercedes came to Hawaii during the time of Filipinos migrating to Hawaii in hopes of shaping a new life for themselves by working on sugar plantations. She then had Helen, my grandmother, who worked on the Dole Plantation. My dad decided to make Kaua’i his permanent home because it ties him to his family history here in Hawaii. During his time on Kaua’i, he has done so much to malama this community.

As a boat captain for over 20 years on the Na Pali Coast, he not only shared his love for nature and the ocean with many visitors, but more importantly, participated in countless water rescues. Often being the first on the scene due to his dedication to being out on the water, he saved many people's lives. After witnessing some traumatic losses and developing PTSD, he decided to step away from being a boat captain and spend more time with another of his lifelong passions, music. He quickly gained recognition as a capable and creative musician among the Kaua’i community. Being a multi-instrumentalist, capable of playing things like the guitar, ukulele, and drums, he became more known for one of his favorite instruments to play, the violin.

Through the years, Kaua’i has become more and more of a destination location for people from the continental United States to move to. As a result, cost of living has been on a consistent rise, from housing (average cost of a single-family home: $1 million) to medical care and basic goods and services. My dad has been subject to these increases and has been struggling to keep pace with these ever-inflating costs.

After seeing my dad struggle through all these experiences, I decided to come back to Kaua’i, a place where I spent much of my childhood growing up, and help him. I have come to see that living on Kaua’i is challenging and costly. Kaua’i is limited in resources for people in need of health care, especially its senior citizens. In addition to this, its ever-increasing cost of living has made the maintenance of a home extremely expensive. This is where you can help.

My hope is to raise the money necessary to help my dad rebuild the foundation he needs to live a safe and healthy life. The house he lives in requires lots of repairs: the roof needs to be replaced, it needs to be tented to get rid of the termites, and the resulting structural damage needs to be repaired. Essentially, a floor-to-ceiling overhaul. The money raised will go toward these projects being completed.

My dad helped many people throughout his life, often without asking for any kind of compensation. He would see someone in trouble out in the water and be one of the first to respond. He often hears the sound of sirens and says, “God bless them, I hope they survive.” He is a funny, adventurous, creative person who has had a challenging time navigating these last several years. Any help you can offer will be much appreciated, and even the time spent reading about my dad is meaningful because I feel his story is an important one.

We know that there are many Kaua'i and Hawai'i Ohana that need support right now. We are grateful for any support that you can contribute, just sharing this fundraiser means a lot to us.

Mahalos