Tsunami: Follow Up

It’s been 2 weeks since the tsunami hit our coast and we thought it was time to review some of things that have been going on at Hualalai.  This is not an official statement from the management and/or owners of Hualalai Resort, Four Seasons or Kona Village. It is a summary put together by the editor of the members’ blog.

As you know, on the night of the tsunami the Four Seasons, Kona Village and Kumukehu Street as well as the Makai side (ocean side) of Waiulu Street were evacuated to Ke ‘Olu.  Guests brought sheets, blankets and pillows and they slept all over Ke ‘Olu including the driving range and even the bathrooms.  Staff was called in as soon as the warning occurred to assist in getting everyone to safety.  After the evacuation they spent the rest of the time making the guests as comfortable as possible and moving furniture and other items to safety.  Many of the employees stayed up for 24 hours, including the chefs who cooked all night so they could feed all the displaced guests at 6:30AM.

Meanwhile many of the homeowners who were not evacuated opened their homes to neighbors who were.  All these transitions went smoothly without even one person being injured.

In the morning management and many homeowners went down to see the damage.  Staff members were still taking care of the guests.  Guests returned to their rooms to remove their belongings and the hotel staff was active in trying to get guests to other hotels so they could continue their vacations, or help get them home quickly if that was what they preferred.

Very quickly management closed access to the shoreline in front of the hotel, where most of the damage occurred.  Needless to say, reports and rumors immediately started flying around on what was damaged, what wasn’t, etc. (As we all know, the Hualalai Wireless is even more efficient than the Cocoanut Wireless!)

So here is an unofficial account of where things now stand:

Insurance:  It is our understanding that the resort ownership does have insurance for all properties.  Adjusters began arriving three days after the tsunami to assess the damage.

Kona Village: There was considerable damage done in Kona Village.  The Ocean Activities Center, the store and a number of the Hales all suffered damage.  Many of you may not know this, but Kona Village always operated on their own generator and management was about to put the resort onto the grid when the tsunami hit.  Many of the electrical and gas connections were torn apart and since there is no “as built” plan for KV, gas and electricity had to be shut off to the entire resort.  As you may know, management was preparing to upgrade Kona Village when the recession hit, canceling their plans.  Right now management and ownership seem to be assessing the situation.  At this point no date has been established for the reopening of Kona Village; a full assessment is being made on how best to proceed with the restoration of that property.  Unfortunately, this means that the property remains closed and we can’t use the facilities.

Beach House: The Beach House was severely damaged.  We all saw the photos of the deck laying on the 18^th fairway with one of the umbrellas still shading it.  At this point we have heard that management wants to get the Beach House up and running, but they need to make the determination as to whether they can make the footprint larger so they can make some improvements.  (That, too, had been talked about before the recession.)  The other possibility is to keep the current footprint and return it to its original condition.  It is very important to remember that all shoreline construction has to go through a very rigid approval from many agencies.  Management is hopeful that the Beach House will be reopened in some form either this summer or early Fall.

The Beach Tree: It is understood that the Beach Tree kitchen was hit the hardest because it is at sea level.  Many of the appliances need to be replaced and some repair must be done.  Plans are still on for the Beach Tree to open at the end of April.

Pahui’a: Little damage occurred to this facility and it will be ready to go when the Four Seasons is opened.

Pools and Ponds: The Sea Shell Pool, the keiki pool, the Beach Tree pool and the Palm Grove pool have all been cleaned of debris.  The Sea Shell pool has some damage to the tiling as does the keiki wading pool.  That is yet to be repaired.  All have pumps of some sort operating, but some electronic control equipment and heaters were damaged and new ones have been ordered.  They are waiting for them to be built and shipped.

Because salt water washed over the Palm Grove lawn, it may need to be replaced along with the irrigation system.

The King’s pond has been cleaned out and has more fish in it than before.  The eagle ray (we were down to one) is okay.  Something we found out is that the King’s Pond is connected to the Moi tanks and to the Waikauhi Ponds (those are the ones near the Beach House—who knew that was their name!).  The ponds are connected with a series of pumps etc.  They are all limping along now, awaiting some replacements.  But the ponds are cleaned out.

An estuary opened from the sea to the Waikauhi Ponds bringing tons of sand in as well as a lot of debris.  It also broke the concrete pathway from the south to the Beach House.  Many of us wondered if they would close the ponds off again, or would leave it with an estuary and a bridge spanning the waterway.  Here is the news at this point:  Because all of the ponds are connected they will probably close the Waikauhi Pond off from the sea and replace the cart path, thus returning it to its original layout.

Golf Courses: The only damage that was done to the golf course was the area on the 18^th fairway adjacent to the Waikauhi ponds.  All seems fine and as of March 23^rd the Hualalai Course opened.

Hotel Rooms: Ten hotel rooms suffered damage from the tsunami.  The dry wall in these rooms has to be removed and plumbing and wiring has to be fixed or replaced.

Staff: As stated before, all the staff pitched in to help in the cleanup.  Since some of the resort facilities (Beach House, Hualalai Golf) were closed, staff members who so wish are being rotated through the resort so they can get some hours in.  It’s great to see LJ, Tammy, Dave, Susan, Eric, Melo and the rest of the gang showing up at other venues.  Some resort staff has chosen to take time off or apply for short term unemployment.  The goal is to get everyone hired back ASAP.

As for the staff at the Four Seasons, there may be insurance to assist in retaining staff.  The goal, again, is to get everyone back on line ASAP.

Unfortunately Kona Village is a different story.  Staff at Kona Village will probably have to be laid off until the resort reopens.

Over 200 contract employees have been brought in to continue cleanup and repair all of the facilities at Hualalai.  You have undoubtedly seen them zipping around property.

The decision was made not to phase in the opening of various venues, but rather open the Four Seasons en masse.  It was felt that with all the workers fixing up everything each area would impinge on another.

Alaka ‘I Nalu: A few of the crafts were damaged.  Management is trying to offer some, albeit limited, activities at the Canoe Club on Monday, March 28^th.  One of the things that management is dealing with is that Kona Village is an entirely different asset than Hualalai so they can’t just move things around that easily, especially when there are so many insurance issues involved.

Here are a few things you should be aware of as we enter this busy Spring break time:

The Canoe Club is open to members and open to guests and renters.  This step is only temporary, thus the Canoe Club is pretty busy.

There is some discussion going on regarding management being allowed to open up the Waiulu pool during this busy time when the hotel pools are closed.

Depending on occupancy, guests and renters may also make reservations up at Ke ‘Olu during this time. Members will get preferential reservations. Again it would only be during this emergency time period and as soon as the hotel facilities open again, Ke ‘Olu would return to membership and their guests only.

Management is watching the numbers daily.  How many members are in residence?  How many renters?  How many guests?  They may be making some temporary emergency decisions utilizing all the facilities to accommodate everyone during this difficult period.

Management wanted us to convey to all the members that they appreciate how members have offered help, and are open to sharing their hospitality during this difficult time.

The most important things to keep in mind: no one was injured on property because of the tsunami.  Everyone was safe.  Furthermore, we are all still in our beautiful homes in a spectacular setting, enjoying unparalleled beauty and service while so many others in Japan are suffering so greatly.