Civil Defense

Currently there is a flash flood warning for Kauaʻi so it's a good reminder to think about safety. We get a lot of rain here in winter but today is a little heavy in spots, 4 1/2 inches early this morning in Anahola seems the heaviest.

Even modest rainfall can result in flash floods since the rainfall over large parts of the island will flow through some smaller gulches and into streams quickly, and various conditions can cause water levels to rise rapidly. Even locally heavy rainfall far away further up the mountain can cause flash floods in low lying areas.

• Avoid low lying areas, streams, and rivers - head for higher ground
• Do not attempt to cross fast flowing water
• Do not drive through water you do not know how deep it is or is above the hubcaps

Weather service warnings in Hawaii can be monitored at http://www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/watchwarn/.
On Kauaʻi you can also call (808) 245-6001 & (808) 245-3564 for latest alerts. Sadly, the web page seems to be a less than reliable source of information so the phone numbers and radio may be required. One would think that modern internet technology would be the best option for emergency information but apparently not so.

A "warning" is actually the highest level of alert and means that flooding in this case is occurring or likely imminent. A "watch" means that the risk of hazard is elevated. An "alert" is like a "warning" but for less serious level of hazard. Finally, an "outlook" advises of possible hazards.

Resources:

• The Kauaʻi Civil Defense has a lot of disaster preparation information for more information.
• The Hawaii weather service office has a ten minute video about hazardous weather.

Recycling & Waste

Residents and visitors to Kauaʻi should consider taking extra effort to tread lightly and minimize impact on this small island. Here's a primer on trash and recycling services in Kauaʻi. The picture on the right is not exactly attractive but the point is we all need to work hard to minimize contributing waste.

Refuse

Weekly trash pickup is provided curbside throughout the island paid for through property taxes. Smart move I think not to separately bill for trash service as it shares the cost and is more efficient than having another billing system to deal with.

Obviously the less trash the better: recycling, reuse, and anything to reduce refuse is critical here because the Kekaha Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF) is nearly at capacity, expected to reach capacity this year. The county is in the process of planning an expansion which is both clearly needed but of course it is challenging balancing the need against the local impact.

Reuse

There are many second hand stores on the island that accept donations of usable goods, sold for a good cause. 

Recycle

Recycling requires more effort - you have to sort things and take them to one of the local recycling centers (map below).

• glass containers
• metal: aluminum and steel cans, foil, pie & food pans
• cardboard
• newspaper 
• paper: any color paper, junk mail, ads, envelopes, magazines, catalogs, food boxes
• plastic #1
• plastic #2

Also recycle many other things at the Kauaʻi Resource Center located in Lihue near the airport which handles these and many other categories of waste. Full details of all they accept and how it works are listed in the FAQ including batteries, oil, packing materials, electronics, hazardous waste, and much more.

Here is a map of where you can take recyclables:

Kauaʻi recycling map

I have only run into one vacation rental that provided recycling containers - one for each of the several different kinds of recyclables - which was the highest end I have stayed at. Also the Inn Waimea provided one recycle container, otherwise you may be on your own. Since the Kauai Resource Center [3460 Ahukini Rd, Lihue, HI 96766] is near the airport visitors might consider dropping off your recyclables on your way to catching your flight home.

Watering the Garden Isle

It has been raining here on Kauaʻi - heavily on the north shore, and a bit more than usual here on the south side as well where it is usually much drier.
When you visit Kauaʻi, especially in winter months (November through March) you should expect some precipitation.

At right is the Lihue seasonal weather which is a kind of an average for the island. Weather on the island roughly breaks down into north/south areas where north is the windward or more precisely the northeast half of the island, and south the south and west. The predominant trade winds typically come from the northeast so incoming moisture gets deposited first on that side, then pushed up the mountain to rain on the top, and then whatever makes it over the top or around the sides sometimes rains on the far side. That said it does often rain up mountain on the south side in Kalaheo and Lawai areas, and when we have Kona winds (from the south and west) then the west side gets most of the rain.

It is not unusual for the north shore to be impacted by heavy rain closing the road (the only way in or out of the area) when the Hanalei river overflows its banks. Missing your flight back home could be among the least of your concerns if you are in Hanalei or Haena when the big rains come. You can check the height of a few rivers here.

Average daily rainfall [tabular data]

Kokeʻe has some of the best hiking to be found anywhere but in winter it can be wet. At 4000 feet it is always cooler than most of the rest of the island and beaches. See average seasonal weather at left: rainiest in the winter and warming in the summer. Depending on your style and level of experience some people don't mind tromping through the mud - not just the mess but slipping can be a serious problem. Any time heavy rains are possible it's important to avoid streams and gullies that can flash flood.

To avoid the mud I suggest giving it at least one mostly sunny day to dry out (or more after heavy rains up there). Alternatively hiking lower down in Waimea canyon is usually a lot drier most days.

On a rainy day the tourist options are limited but here are a few ideas.

• Get wet: snorkeling or surfing you get wet any way (of course, water safety comes first)
• Visit the Kauai Museum in downtown Lihue
• Go for a drive around the island: it may be drier on the other side (check windward vs. leeward)
• See whatʻs playing at the historic Waimea movie theater (a little different movie experience)
• Take a rest from your vacation

Average daily rainfall [tabular data]

Not that anybody actually goes there but I tracked down some weather data from Mount Waiʻaleʻale, one of the rainiest spots on the planet. Kauaʻi's 5000 foot peaks are almost always enshrouded in clouds and as the graph makes clear, it rains there regularly an inch a day or so.

Most "Kauaʻi in 25 words or less" summaries mention this remarkable rainfall yet it has little to nothing to do with the weather we experience on the island. First of all, unless you manage to tag along on the rare helicopter visits to check the weather monitoring equipment up there, the place is virtually inaccessible. Not only the old knowledge of trails but probably the trails themselves have vanished in modern times. Kauaʻi itself is an old volcano in the process of breaking down and that makes for unstable terrain - especially where it gets socked with rain - and makes steep area unclimbable due to the crumbling makeup of the land.

It looks like the wettest times up there are spring, summer, and fall. Perhaps in winter when the lowlands see the most rain that drains off a little of what would otherwise make rain on top.

• Hawaii state rain summary map

Kauai Driving

Getting a Hawaii driver's license is perhaps the most important step that officially says you are a kamaʻaina (resident) ... or more precisely, malihini (newcomer or guest). Your Hawaii license will also qualify you for kamaʻaina discounts which are plentiful and often save you significant money with local merchants.

1. Review the Hawaii drivers manual (PDF) and look over the practice test (PDF)
2. Collect documents necessary (web page)
3. Go to driver's license agency in the Lihue Civic Center to apply

Getting your license

Before you go to apply for your license be sure you have the right documents to prove your identity and social security number as well as permission to reside in the country. Generally this will be a birth certificate or valid US passport (or visa or Green Card if non-US citizen) and social security card (or W-2 form) ... but other documents can be used if you don't have these; it's complicated so see here (Kauai county) or here (state) for details about proof of legal presence. The document requirement is federally mandated so while the clerks had plenty of aloha they are subject to very strict regulations checking identification.

The Kauai County Department Of Finance handles driver and vehicle licensing for Kauai.

• Location: Moʻikeha Building, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 280, Lihue, HI 96766 (map) 
• Hours: 7:45am to 4:00pm (arrive before 3:30pm)
• Phone: (808) 241-4200
• Fax: (808) 241-6529 
• Web: http://www.kauai.gov/finance

What to expect

Fill out the application forms on the table to transfer out-of-state an license. (If you are getting your first license including driving test it is more involved.) I went today mid-morning and there was no line. It took ten minutes at the counter. 

You get a paper test with thirty questions to work on in the exam room - you need 24 correct to pass. When you have done the test get back in line to get graded. (I got one wrong about solid double white lines which I have never seen in Kauai: they mean you can't cross them, under any circumstances.) There is a quick vision exam and then you sit on benches until your name is called.

When the cashier calls your name you pay $40 (check or cash) and then get your photo taken. They had you a flimsy temporary license (and they keep your old license if transferring) and you are done. The whole thing took less than an hour.

Driver license review

Here are some points from reading the driver's manual that may vary by state or are worth reviewing.

• Driving
• After a complete stop you can turn right.
• Signal all turns and lane changes 100 feet (30m) ahead.
• Turn signal indicates intent, it does not give you the right to turn or change lanes.
• Turn from the lane nearest the direction of the turn and into the nearest lane.
• Do not use the road shoulder to get around a car stopped turning left.
• Do not enter an intersection or crosswalk unless there is space to get through to the far side.
• Entering a congested highway onramp if necessary stop early, not at the end of the merge lane.
• Road signs
• The diagonal stripes on a barricade indicate the direction to which traffic is to pass. Stripes sloping downward to the right mean bear right; downward to the left mean bear to the left.
• Red lane marking reflectors mean you are going the wrong direction in the traffic lane.
• A Red Arrow has the same meaning as a red light for the indicated lane of traffic.
• Parking
• Hill parking: downhill = turn wheels right;  uphill = left if curb or right if no curb.
• Parallel parking: at least two feet from other parked vehicles unless marked, within 12 inches (30 cm) of curb.
• Emergencies
• Heavy rain: hydroplaning begins at 35 mph and at 55 mph you have no control of the vehicle.
• Never drive through a flooded area where water over one foot deep (30 cm) is moving swiftly.
• Skid recovery: ease off gas, turn in the direction the rear end is going, avoid sudden actions and over-correction.
• Wheels off road while driving: do not jerk back onto road, reduce speed going straight, return to road when going at a slow safe speed.
• Tire blowout: do not slam on brakes, stay in your lane, only use brakes after reducing speed to get off the road and stop.
• Brake failure: pump brakes, downshift, warn others (horn, lights), hand brake slowly, get off the road.
• Accelerator stuck open: slap accelerator hard, turn off ignition, brake to slow, then get off the road.
• Auto fires: do not use water on gasoline fire. Use extinguisher or smother small fire, get away from large fire.
• Hazard warning flasher should not be used while moving.
• Accidents (involving any injury or over $3000 damage) must be reported to police and insurance by law.
1. Stop. Do not leave the scene.
2. Aid the injured.
3. Warn passing traffic.
4. Exchange information or leave information on unattended vehicle.
• Intoxication: blood level over 0.08 (under 21, 0.02). In Hawaii there is implied consent to testing.
• Speed reduces your field of vision: 20mph = 2/3, 40mph = 2/5, 60mph = 1/5, approximately.
• Hawaii law prohibits leaving a child (under 9) unattended in a motor vehicle for 5 minutes.
• Motorcycles are entitled to the entire width of the lane.

Resources

• Driver's license and state ID details (web page)
• Driver's Manual (PDF)
• Test Questions (PDF) and out best answers below (no guarantee: corrections in comments welcome)
• Documents for legal presence (web page)
• Motor vehicle safety (web page)

Driver's Test Answers

Click to show/hide our answers. No cheating!

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State of Hawaii vs. County of Kauaʻi

Following close on the heels of the legal suit over Kauaiʻs Ordinance 960 (formerly Bill 2491), two bills have been introduced at the state level - House Bill 2506 and Senate Bill 3058 - that would have that “No law, ordinance, or resolution of any unit of local government shall be enacted that abridges the right of farmers and ranchers to employ agricultural technology, modern livestock production, and ranching practices ..."

Update: This very same language is in another piece of legislation as Senate Bill 110 and not adopted in committee (4 Feb 2014).

They might as well just have stated clearly: we don't trust counties to have the sense to have a say about how farms and ranches operate on their own islands.

Local law is already very much subject to override by state which is in turn subordinate to federal law (as I wrote about previously including the less well known legal principle called Dillonʻs rule which further limits the purvey local government to only those subjects they are explicitly empowered to legislate). That some state legislators feel compelled to specifically forbid local ordinances in the realm of agriculture can only be interpreted as a simple lack of trust.

According to a recent editorial in The Garden Island - and it may be a first for the latest Oahu-controlled incarnation of that periodical that I agree with this one - two local Kauai representatives in the state legislature are the ones introducing this legislation: Rep. Dee Morikawa (D-Koloa-Niihau) and Rep. James Tokioka (D-Koloa-Wailua). They seem to see their vital role at the state level as being about blocking our county council from bothering to get involved with things agricultural on the island.

The hubris of disempowering local government in perpetuity is astounding in itself, much less on the heels of the dramatic events on Kauai over the past several months that if anything clearly demonstrate how vital these issues are for so many folks here. Since the state level status quo - understaffed, minimal regulation and a voluntary program concocted in the eleventh hour ahead of Kauai 960 (2491) - is quite favorable to the big corporations, one has to assume that in writing off the anti-GMO crowd these representatives owe a heavy allegiance to the other side.

However, I donʻt want to underestimate the subtlety of the issues nor the intricacies of the power plays. Over at Kauai Eclectic, Joan raises some good questions about how fit Kauai is to self-govern. I would agree that the debate here - 2491 being just one prominent example - was less than statesman-like and that rational, well reasoned opinion was in very short supply.

So I would say that yes, Kauai has a lot of room for improvement, but then I would also say that at the state and federal levels - even at the UN - government could do a much better job as well. Be that as it may, local government certainly has a vital role to play here and I would need a lot better argument than “It’s a right to farm bill,” before we irrevocably disempower the counties. In the end inclusive government that respects locale must be the best system: suppressing local control always amounts to suppression of the weaker county by the more powerful state, and that just isnʻt democratic, or even moral.

I have seen it reported that these bills are not expected to get very far and the threat of passing appears small now, but that Kauai's own representatives are doing these maneuvers in the first place is unsettling, and of course, predicting the future of legislation is hardly reliable.

Kauai Internet

There are two major internet providers here on Kauai - Oceanic (Time-Warner cable) and Hawaiian Telcom. Oceanic has the fastest residential service, up to 100Mbps; Hawaiian Telcom goes up to 50Mbps; see the web site for details of all the services and bundles they have. More than one person has warned me away from Hawaiian Telcom (but I have no experience with them one way or the other myself, this is just here-say).

Both high-end service plans offer only up to 5Mbps upload which is not great but sufficient for video chat (e.g. Skype, Facetime, Hangout ... if you don't know what these are, never mind) which is where upload speed counts for most people. Also if you upload a lot of files such as to YouTube this will be a little slow. 100Mbps is probably more than we need but since this means "up to" - as opposed to "guaranteed to be at least" - it is probably worth it and I will have good cause to complain if it gets really slow. It looks like business class service is needed to get higher speeds that this.

If you think about, the idea of buying any service from an "up to" offer is audacious: they are only telling you the best it can be, not the minimum you can expect. Consider a restaurant that offers meals that may "occasionally be really delicious"; getting an oil change that sometimes finishes "in as little as thirty minutes"; or setting your house thermostat for a cold night to "to as warm as 70 degrees". Unless the service operates faster than the rated maximum they are fulfilling their promise to you.

Ultimate 100 (up to 100Mbps) Monthly Charges Service $79.99 Modem/Wi-Fi box $5.99

Total Monthly Charges $85.98

Today I ordered the fastest residential Oceanic plan today. There is a one-time $29.95 installation charge. The first available installation appointment was about five days out.

Signing up on the web, their system did not understand my address, but I would expect they have already wired the neighborhood as it is a relatively new development with a lot of houses.

If this works out well for you, refer a friend and you get a month free.... twelve friends a year would make it free!

Appliances in paradise

We bought appliances for our house and got some very good advice from the very helpful lady who took our order worth sharing with newcomers to Kauai. Much of the process of relocating here has been straightforward, but this these purchased were a good first reminder that things are a little different here. Here's what Wendy said:

It's obvious if you think about it, but modern electronics and sensitive equipment simply do not last long in this tropical environment. Between the humidity, heat, and (near the ocean) salt, circuit boards or fine mechanical instruments can very easily fail here. Furthermore, on an island the size of a small city, there often is no trained service technician here to fix things when they do fail (and they definitely do not fly in technicians to do repairs, obviously). On top of all that, ordering spare parts can be slow and expensive given the remote location. For all these reasons, it may very well pay to get extended warranties on everything purchased unless it is as simple as a hammer.

Wendy went on to explain what often happens both when you do and do not have warranty protection here.

• Under warranty, if there is a qualified technician on the island (which often is not the case), they will fix it of course.
• Under warranty, if no qualified technician (approved by the manufacturer) is on island, you normally get full replacement value refund, enough to buy a brand new appliance. The old appliance is taken out of warranty and becomes "scrap" and either goes to the dump or you may be able to keep it if you want to.
• For out of warranty there are technicians here who will take cash jobs on the side to fix things privately if they can. Use your best judgment hiring as it could be a gamble.

We shopped Costco and Home Depot for appliances: they are right next to each other in Kukui Grove (west Lihue) so it was quick to comparison shop though they had different models to choose from. Generally, Costco had lower prices but they do not deliver: the will help you load the appliance into your vehicle, then you are on your own getting it home and installed. 

Home Depot includes free home delivery (to our area at least) including set up. Our washing machine comes with hoses to hook it up (she checked for us), but some makers don't provide that in which case you can buy what you need there (but not at Costco) if needed. And they had very knowledgable staff like Wendy to help us select a model. (The Costco fellow was friendly but not an expert at all.) They also had a discount that applied as well, so the price difference was small to none if you include delivery and installation service. They even helped fill out the rebate forms for energy-efficient appliance purchase ($50) rebates from KIUC.

After checking models and prices that looked good and that fit in the spaces available in the house we went to the Lihue library where they had recent issues of Consumer Reports to see how they rated.

Vehicle Registration

This week is full of the administrivia of relocation so the blog will be bureaucratic to match. I am usually good at finding answers on the web, but some of these procedures were difficult to get good information about so I am writing this up in hopes others will find it useful.
Generally speaking, Honolulu has excellent web resources for Hawaii state procedures for citizens but Kauai, not so much.

We shipped a car from the mainland to Kauai earlier this month and today we registered it with the state of Hawaii. You have thirty days to do this -- I don't know what the penalty is, but you should just do it.

Insurance note: you may have to change insurance agents moving here. Our insurance company does not insure here so we had to switch companies. It's probably best to have the new coverage before registering the car.

Here's the process in a nutshell, then some details. (If you buy a car on the island the dealer should take care of registration: the following is for registering your own car shipped over from the mainland.)

1. Get the necessary paperwork from the shipper
2. Get insurance if necessary (our insurance company would not cover the car in Hawaii)
3. Go get a "failed" safety inspection
4. Go to the vehicle registration office
5. Go back to the safety inspection place

Step 1. When your car arrives on Kauai and you pick it up the shipper will give you a Bill of Lading and a receipt showing the date the car arrived - you will need both of these to register the car within thirty days.

Step 2. Find a gas station or auto service shop that does Hawaii state vehicle safety inspections (call ahead, some require appointments). Show them the registration and proof of insurance. Pay about $20 and they give you a "failed" inspection slip to take to get the car registered: you will have to bring that back to them later on.

You will see "Safety Inspection" signs displayed at such places. If you want to do the whole process in one day, a shop near the Lihue Civic Center is convenient as you need to go twice. You may want to use a shop near where you will be living as your regular repair service. If it is far from Lihue you can do this in two steps on separate days, but you must complete Step 4 within fifteen days of Step 2.

Step 3. Take all those documents (existing out-of-state registration, proof of insurance, "failed" inspection) as well as the vehicle title and a checkbook to the vehicle licensing office and get in line.

Kauai vehicle licensing office is in the Lihue Civic Center (4444 Rice St., Lihue, HI). There are two large buildings with various government offices, but no handy map so it's hard to find the place except by asking or trial and error. The office is on the north side of the building closest to the highway, accessed from doors between the two large buildings that comprise the civic center. GPS coordinates
21° 58.578', -159° 22.152'.

The very kind lady at the counter took everything and filled out forms and I wrote a small check and she handed us new Hawaii plates with tabs, a new vehicle title, and a new vehicle registration. The registration and proof of insurance go in the car; the title in a separate place, not in the car.

Step 4. Back at the safety inspection shop, hand them the "failed" slip along with the new registration and proof of insurance. They do their thing and give you a safety inspection sticker good for one year. You also get a document for the inspection as well that you will need to provide to an officer if stopped, so that goes along with the registration and insurance papers. They also removed our old license plates and put on the new ones (though I don't think they have to, but it helped us out because our tools are in transit with the move just now).

We drove away with shiny new Hawaii license plates. Since we had just renewed our old registration, we did not have to pay the state of Hawaii registration until that registration expires, though we did pay a fee for the change. This does have an unusual result: the safety inspection is good for one year, but the license renewal is due in about ten months. For simplicity at renewal we will probably just get the next safety inspection early so it matches the registration one year cycle. The state sends a reminder to renew registration but not the safety inspection so if they expire at different times you are on your own.

It sounds complicated and it was the first time, but we did Steps 2 and 3 and 4 all in less than an hour (using a shop just a couple miles away from the Civic Center). Everybody from the shipper to auto shop to registration lady were very helpful and patient which made it all go smoothly. Mahalo!