Winter in Hawaii is the rainy season, and a strong storm came through. That same week, a plane flying from Arizona to Honolulu hit severe turbulence about 30 minutes before landing; 36 people were hurt, including a woman who wasn’t wearing her seat belt, and 11 were in serious condition.
Getting ready
The weather began to turn the day before, and by night the wind was very strong. I moved the rabbits under a roof and put the solar panels and refrigerators somewhere safe. Outdoor cages are rough in a storm, so, bracing for fights, I gathered almost all the chickens into the building, including some who normally live elsewhere. The rooster density was incredible! Even Chako and Marron, who usually aren’t in that room, were there.
Maybe they understood the situation, because the roosters didn’t fight. I do keep several roosters together normally, but I was genuinely moved. Good job, everyone! A board across the bottom of the door kept the rain out.
Day two
The storm went on the next day, the rain heavy, then lighter, never settled. The playground turned into a muddy mess and part of the roof peeled up — but the ducks looked delighted.
For two days we had incredible rain, wind and thunder; even roosters that usually fight kept still.On both sides of us, the neighbors’ chickens escaped when their cages broke, and since the neighbors were putting human safety first, nobody could come, so I was rounding up their birds. Rain was blowing into our shed too, so I moved the wet rabbits. Chaos!
The cats are all back inside. Iroha, our dog, had no idea what was going on and squeezed into odd gaps out of fear. You’re fine — you’re not even wet! The guinea pigs didn’t care at all.
After the storm
Everything under a roof came through fine, and the caged roosters are okay, though the rain blew in sideways. The chickens inside are fine too. The front side is a mess: my handmade shelves fell over, and the banana plant, which had grown so big before the storm, was torn to shreds. I hope it comes back.
A few things broke, but there was no major damage. Our neighbor’s coop had its ceiling fall in and cages blown over, and chickens got out. I contacted him, but he was at work and couldn’t come right away, so I sheltered his soaking-wet chickens and caught the ones that escaped. He was very grateful, which was nice. The ground will take a while to dry out completely, but we’ll restore things little by little.
Thanks for watching. See you next time!