Friends and neighbors of Waiahole Poi factory cleared out mud and water left behind by the storm.
"I went inside and saw that the water had come up about two and half feet," says Liko Hoe, Waiahole Poi Factory owner.
Hoe’s family has owned the Waiahole Poi factory for more than 30 years.
He says what happened saturday night is just part of living in the valley.
"There’s a little bit of damage but pretty minor for us," says Hoe.
HECO says about 7700 customers in Windward Oahu lost power around 9:15 p.m. Saturday night.
Hoe says he had to throw out several hundred dollars worth of food.
He also lost his dumpster after it floated down Kamehameha highway.
"It went up maybe about a quarter mile down the road ended up at an orchid farm just a little bit down the road," says Hoe.
But next door, at Waiahole Botanicals it was a different story.
"It’s a real big hit because the economy is really slow for us right now and our annual income is really dropped about 40% from where it had been," says Debbie Miranda, Waiahole Botanicals owner.
Miranda says water overflowed here knocking over the stream gage system rushing straight through the nursery.
Her greenhouse, fence and irrigation system were damaged.
"I didn’t realize it was as bad as it was I think I walked in and I was very overwhelmed started crying," says Debbie Miranda.
Her son, Justin who lives on the property with his wife and three kids says he voluntarily evacuated and drove to higher ground until the rain let up.
"Within just a matter of two minutes the water must have raised another 12 inches so at that point i just started grabbing the kids," says Justin Miranda, Debbie’s son.
Miranda says it will probably take 2-3 weeks to get things back up and running.
"I’m just grateful nobody was injured nobody was hurt everybody was safe because that’s the most important thing things can be replaced people can’t," says Debbie Miranda.
Waiahole Botanicals estimates they have $40,000 dollars in damage.
See the original article at: KHON2 Developing Stories
