Aloha,
My name is Kalei Gamiao
My family and I have been living in Longbridge Haleiwa, Hawaii for multiple generations.
The recent flood on the North Shore of Oahu was a devastating experience that we will never forget.
The water flowed violently from across Waialua River, across acres of homes, and made its way to Haleiwa, destroying everything in its path.
Four of our homes on our property have been totally flooded out. The water tore through our entire property, carving out and eating away sections of the land. Cars were pushed up against houses, memories and mementos were literally washed away.
My father spent his entire life savings and every minute of his days to create a safe place where our family, friends, and community members could gather and enjoy an "authentic Hawaii lifestyle."
It breaks my heart to see all of my father's hard work and our personal belongings disappear in an instant.
All the cars on our property were underwater and totaled. I lost 4 dozen musical instruments and $20k in gear, my dad lost $40k in tools.
The only way for us to evacuate the property was to hop on the backhoe because the water level was too high and the river was gushing across the yard, pushing with a lot of force.
My sister, who is 7 months pregnant, my mom, who has lupus and essential tremors, my dad, and our 2 dogs jumped on the tractor and drove to safety. My dad and I came back to rescue our tenants who were sitting on their laundry appliances to stay out of the water. We ended up getting stuck on our driveway and had to wait out the flood while rain poured and the flood raged through everything.
We were stranded on the tractor for about 6 hours before the water level and flow were safe enough for us to climb down.
It was then that we saw all the devastating damage and our belongings floating down the stream out to the ocean.
We have a lot of work to do and it will take a while before it becomes as beautiful as it once was, but we are very grateful and blessed to be together as a family.
Even though we lost everything, we still have each other.
Mahalo for your support!
Blessings,
-The Gamiao ohana