HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0176.022 2006-2008
Murashige, Laura
From: Brenda Ford [bford@co.hawaii.hi.us]
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 3:07 PM ' -
To: counciltestimony@co. hawaii. hi. us
Subject: FW: Flood control ~~~P lam] ~ ~ ~
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Perrine [mailto:perrine@hawaii.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2007 8:53 AM
To: Yoshimoto, J; Bob Jacobson; Ford, Brenda; Yagong, Dominic; Higa, Stacy; Pete Hoffman;
Naeole, Emily; Pilago, K. Angel
Subject: Flood control
Dear Councilpersons:
I will not be able to attend tomorrow's meeting regarding flood control legislation, but
would like to take a moment to advise all of you as to how important this issue is to me
personally. A few years ago, the island experienced heavy rains, and what I believe was
referred to as a "ten-year flood". Water flowing across the property just mauka of mine in
the residential subdivision of Komokana Kai in Kailua-Kona reached a height of about four
feet, shorting out and destroying the outdoor electrical outlets and swimming pool pump on
my neighbor's property.
This wall of water poured over the neighbor's rock wall onto my property, creating
numerous waterfalls cascading into my yard next to my house, and forming a swirling
whirlpool immersing one corner of my house. The water penetrated into my home office,
resulting in thousands of dollars worth of damage, and several days lost to clean-up and
mitigation efforts for future events. The proximate causes of the flooding were a
combination of heavy rain, and recent construction, which had allowed fill dirt, trash,
and debris to wash into and clog the dry wells on the street above my house. The
underlying cause, of course, was the inadequate infrastructure to control runoff waters,
and the incessant re-zoning and paving of mauka lands with inadequate attention to the
runoff problems created. I met several times with then council-person Nancy Pisicchio and
the head of public works in Kona at the time, but the only action I was able to get was a
one-time clean-up of the dry well above me, which of course has slowly been re-filling
with debris ever since. I shudder to think what will happen when we get a twenty, fifty,
or hundred-year flood here. Please be aware that people cannot feel secure in their homes
with the threat of a devastating flood hanging like a sword over our heads whenever it
rains for more than an hour. Every time it rains hard I have to dash out into the rain to
check on the dry wells and see if they are draining off the water or not.
Thank you for addressing this important issue.
Sincerely,
Doug Perrine
Doug Perrine
76-223 Haoa St.
Kailua-Kona HI 96740 U.S.A.
+1 (808) 329-4523
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