If you fly 5,000 miles over nearly a full day with two lousy changeovers in Los Angeles, you must like a place a lot to do it again. 

That’s Kauai.

My wife and I went there in March for our second visit. The first trip, in 2022, ended with us desperately trying to find a way not to go home. 

The weather was perfect. The beaches were perfect. The food was perfect. The scenery was perfect. The people who live there were perfect.

Our second trip wasn’t quite as wonderful. The first week was pretty much a washout due to a Kona storm that stalled over the Hawaiian Islands. We were actually lucky – Oahu and Maui were inundated with water. We only had about 7 inches.

The weather improved markedly the second week. All the things we loved about Kauai the first time we loved again.

We stayed both times at the Sheraton Kauai Resort. It had a gorgeous pool and a pathway that jammed up with gazers around sunset. 

Many of you know this. Because you’ve seen them a lot in the past couple of weeks.

The pool got ruined by sand from the force of a hurricane that swept through Kauai. The pathway got broken up. Water smashed through the seaside exercise room where I used the stationary bike every morning. A flood surge turned the breezeway into a fast-moving stream.

I don’t like the idea of naming hurricanes because it bestowed a sense of humanity that this sort of destruction doesn’t warrant. This has never been more the case than this storm.

Not only was the resort where we created new great memories severely damaged. But the storm downed trees that blocked the roadways we walked to get my sixth Hawaiian shirt and an amazing white pineapple. The houses we envied as we walked were shattered.

But, because I fancy the idea of living on Kauai, the part that struck hardest is how the island’s people suffered from the storm.

Some are still without electricity more than a week after the storm. They needed ice on an island where air conditioning and ceiling fans make it habitable. 

There was one death attributed to the storm on Kauai. That’s sad, but obviously good planning and residents displaying their intelligence kept the toll down. 

Now comes the dilemma.

On the one hand, like most of Hawaii, tourism is the main driver of commerce. There is almost no time of the year when the resorts, the hotels, the restaurants, the gift shops aren’t filled with visitors from the mainland and from other countries. 

So losing tourism revenue is a serious matter. I’m sure that the Hawaiian and Kauai governments and the businesspeople on the island are anxious to get things running again.

On the other hand, the first obligation is to make sure the people who actually live there are safe and secure. That their losses are made good. That they are back to living their lives without worrying about pandering to tourists. Especially demanding ones who, after spending the fortune it takes to go to Hawaii at all, want everything just right at the moment they want it.

It goes to one of the big issues on Kauai and all the other Hawaiian islands: Who are they? Are they Hawaiians, with their own language and culture that need preservation and cultivation? Or are they Americans, looking to make a living the best way they can?

If I were planning to go back to Kauai anytime soon, I wouldn’t. I would wait at least until some time in 2027 – and only then go if I know the people there are able to sustain and greet visitors.

What I do plan to do is support some of the businesses on the island. I don’t drink coffee, but I’m told Kauai Coffee is excellent. I do drink rum, and Koloa Rum makes an excellent gift for discerning drinkers. There are chocolate companies and cookie makers and produce suppliers – and if you want to send them some support this coming holiday season, they’re worth the effort.

There are also charities to help residents still in need, including farmers trying to recover from the devastation. We donated to Malama Kauai https://malamakauai.org/, which deals with both the producing and the distribution of food on the island. 

Most importantly, let’s think about what just happened.

Hawaii has been belted by storms all of 2026. This doesn’t seem like an accident. We think of climate change as making cooler places warmer. That’s only part of it. 

There’s less of an atmosphere to shield us from the extremes of weather – and we’re seeing that all over the world. Even in a place where the weather is nice 99% of the time.

There’s an election in less than seven weeks and a bunch of people running who don’t think climate change is a hoax or fake news. As the people on Kauai can attest, this might be a good time to vote for them.

Kauai’s history is fascinating. It was never a conquered part of the Hawaiian kingdom because it is further away from the other main islands than they are from each other. Warriors on both sides had a hard time getting across that swatch of the Pacific Ocean.

But now it needs not only the help of its fellow Hawaiians, but the help of its fellow Americans. It’s up to us to show the spirit of aloha to one of the most beautiful places on earth.