Farmer rescues co-worker from flood in Waialua

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A former firefighter, Chris Greer, did not hesitate when his co-worker needed him after being trapped in flood water Saturday at their workplace, Laulau Solutions farm in Waialua.

“She just called me screaming, like ‘we need help!,’ and I was like, let’s do it,” Greer recalled. “Just kind of, in those moments, you just kind of go. I mean it was kind of crazy, the current coming out with the water rushing out was pretty tough. But, I know this lo’i, kind of the back of my hand.”

Greer’s familiarity with the taro farm allowed him to track down his co-worker and her pet piglet.

“Threw her pet on a little surfboard and pushed it out. Kind of took like 30 minutes to get out of here, but we’re thankful everyone’s alright,” Greer said.

But other animals were stuck.

Farm owner Joey Cadiz said the flood killed one of his pigs and two chickens.

“We put time and invested time and energy into taking care of these animals, so that’s always, devastating too, in and of itself,” Cadiz said. “Quite dangerous, so we just had to evacuate and get out of there with whatever we could carry.”

Cadiz added the equipment that did not make it out, including a farm truck and lawnmowers, were thrown around and extensively damaged.

A part of one of the lo’i, taro patches was destroyed.

Cadiz estimated repairs and replacements will cost about $6,000.

“Every time something like this happens, it sets us back quite a bit and that’s probably what hurts us the most, is making all this progress and having to start over in some areas again,” Cadiz said.

The non-profit organization that aims to educate community members about sustainability relies on volunteers like Leialoha Cambonga.

While Cambonga called the destruction at the farm “devastating,” she also said, “It also inspires us to come together and bring it back to life and find the solutions to maybe mitigate some of the damage in the future.”

Cadiz is seeking volunteers to help him clean the farm over the coming days. He is also accepting donations.

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