Severe weather over Valentine’s Day weekend caused some damages to the Hawaiian Islands. “From what I felt, we had a ton of rain. I was unaware of the damage caused in other places,” said Caleb Ripley, a sophomore majoring in finance from Arizona. A high wind warning was issued for parts of Kauai and Oahu and the summits on the Big Island, according to Hawaii News Now. There were gusts that got up to 50 mph in some areas, especially in the Puna region on the Big Island and caused toppling trees, blocked roadways, and ruined buildings. One roof was completely torn off.There were power outages on the Big Island, and some people received their power back on Feb. 18 after not having power since Friday, Feb. 13. There was also damage on Oahu and some power outages near the Kaneohe area, leaving 1,600 people powerless on Valentine’s morning alone, according to the Associated Press. “Usually when it’s raining here, I actually go into Honolulu. When I head into Honolulu, it’s really warm,” said McKenna Hawkins, an undeclared freshman from Colorado. “That day when I went into Honolulu, it was even colder.”Some students said they were not affected by the weather. “I spent my day at the temple so I didn’t really know what it was like outside,” said Ricky Tu’ihalangingie, a freshman from Tonga studying biomedical science. Additionally, there were some medical consequences from the rough weather over Valentine’s Day weekend. A plane flying into Honolulu from New Jersey on Feb. 14 encountered sudden turbulence, injuring seven people on board. Five were taken to Queens Medical Center when they landed, according to Hawaii News Now.Another consequence of the weather on Valentine’s Day was damage to a popular and illegal hike, Stairway to Heaven. A small landslide damaged the stairs. The Board of Water Supply, the organization in charge of maintaining the stairs and the security, sent some people to examine the damage done to the stairs, according to Hawaii News Now. Despite the rough weather, some students said they were able to enjoy Valentine’s Day but others said they didn’t. “The Internet was down around the school Friday night and Saturday morning, which was hard for us single people because we couldn’t watch Netflix on Valentine’s Day,” said Hawkins.
Writer: Rachel Reed
