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 NEWS
 Guard troops clear flood damage in Hawaii By Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
                National Guard Bureau
 KULA, Hawaii - Hawaii National Guard Soldiers and Airmen formed human chains to help mountainside residents clear flood debris in January and prevent a repeat of the disaster. Flooding followed the Kona Storm, which peaked Dec. 5 when eight inches of rain fell in three hours, washing wildfire debris down the slopes of the Haleakala volcano, Maui's highest peak. Wildfire destroys vegetation that otherwise would delay the runoff's downhill progress. Fire also leaves a waxy soil coating that hinders the absorption of water and speeds its flow, a phenomenon known as hydrophobicity. "It's probably been over 100 years since the island has seen such flooding," said Air Force Maj. David Kashiwamura, commander for the Kula debris-clearing mission. The state active duty mission included about 45 Citizen-Soldiers and 15 Airmen from the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu. "This is a joint operation with civilian agencies, especially the county of Maui," Kashiwamura said. "A mission like this pulls Air and Army assets into one team. Everyone is from Hawaii, and what we're doing is supporting our own communities and our homes." The elements for flooding had accumulated following a January 2006 wildfire that scorched more than 2,000 acres in the Kula Forest Reserve. Ash and debris clogged culverts, drainage ditches and gulches. The Kona Storm washed out the blockages, releasing debris-laden water that cascaded thousands of feet down the mountainside, forming a wall of water some residents described as 30 feet high by the time it reached their homes nestled in the eucalyptus and pine forests at elevations between 3,000 and 4,000 feet. Up to 50 homes were affected, and some were destroyed, with initial estimates pegging property damage at $1.2 million. National Guardmembers helped carry seven dumpster loads of debris from Kaleo Peneku's former home. The first load alone weighed 91⁄2-tons. "All wood," Peneku said, describing the dumpster contents. "And my belongings." "The river took it," the mechanic said, standing outside his wrecked home. A wall is missing. Windows are shattered. The underside of the roof has mud stains on it from when the surface of the cresting water lapped below it. The inside of the house is scoured as though someone took a pressure-washer to it. "The gulch overflowed," Peneku said. "Took the house. Took everything. It's destroyed. Everything. It's completely gutted." His wife was washing dishes at 1:15 p.m., on Dec. 5 when the wall of water rushed through, carrying the contents of the home 200 yards down the hillside. The couple's three boys, ages 7-12, couldn't open the door of the room where they were playing. They escaped by climbing through a window. "I had logs bigger than a car in my living room," said Peneku, who added that National Guard troops helped his family's recovery. "The National Guard gets to shine in its own state," said 1st Lt. Brian Ouimet, the task force commander, with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 47th Field Artillery out of Wahiawa, on the island of Hawaii. "It's beneficial for the troops and beneficial for the community." Ouimet, wearing the shoulder patch of an overseas deployment in Kuwait but on his first state tasking, said the mission benefited him as a Soldier. "I've participated in the federal mission, and now I'm participating in the state mission," he explained. "People come in to the National Guard to help their country and their community." The Air Guard's 292nd Combat Communications Squadron, which provides communications in austere conditions, including combat, took the lead. National Guard combat communicators, engineers and heavy equipment operators labored side-by-side with county workers using both National Guard and county equipment. Humvees ferried Guardmembers to sites where loaders, a front-end scoop, five-ton dump trucks and county-loaned excavators waited. Some of the flood-damaged areas were inaccessible, and it took the brute strength of Citizen-Soldiers and Airmen working with chainsaws and other light equipment to cut wood into manageable pieces and haul it out by hand, passing debris along a human chain. "I love it. It's fun. It's hard work, but we made a difference here, and the people are really happy about it," said Spc. Patrick Salanoa, from the island of Oahu, of Alpha Company, 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion. "They come outside and they thank us every day. It feels really good to be here and help people out." A security guard in his civilian life, combat engineer in his military life, and veteran of the federal Operation Jump Start mission on the U.S. border with Mexico, Salanoa's first mission in his home state was to drive a front-end loader and load wood onto five-ton trucks. "I feel a great sense of accomplishment," Kashiwamura said. "It gives us a chance to demonstrate our state mission. We get to show the community how the National Guard fits in supporting the local area. "The National Guard has expanded my horizons," said Kashiwamura, who came from the active duty Air Force. "I have a second mission to look after, the state mission. I feel closer to the community than I did on active duty." For his part, Peneku, the resident who lost his home, said his family will rebuild on Maui. "We're going to find someplace else and get on with it," he said. "Just won't live by a river." *Note: The Maui News contributed to this report.*
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