• Lifeguard rose to call of duty • Landfill makes sense from afar • Roundabout deserves praise Lifeguard rose to call of duty Mahalo to new lifeguard Makana Weiss for saving the life of an older tourist late Wednesday afternoon
• Lifeguard rose to call of duty • Landfill makes sense from afar • Roundabout deserves praise
Lifeguard rose to call of duty
Mahalo to new lifeguard Makana Weiss for saving the life of an older tourist late Wednesday afternoon at Kee Beach! The waves were huge, and beach closed signs were posted in plain sight, high up on the beach close to the tree line. There were a few people sitting at the very edge of the tree line. Suddenly a massive surge came up the beach all the way to the trees, and not only were chairs lost, but one man was swept out to sea.
It was terrifying to watch him being helplessly tossed about in the surf. Makana immediately ran down the beach and into the water. It took less than a minute of battling waves and incredibly powerful currents before he was able to rescue the visibly shaken tourist who had suffered minor injuries.
In all honesty, if the lifeguards hadn’t been on duty, we would have had our first drowning of the year. The surf was so dangerous that none of us watching would have been able to save that man. Or if we had tried, we would have experienced more than one drowning. It is so ironic that I posted on Facebook and Twitter that very morning: “Extreme high surf warning for north & west Kauai. Conditions so dangerous stay far away from ocean even on shore. Don’t become a statistic!”
Even more ironic is the fact that the law (Act 170) allowing the county to have lifeguards at a state beach (because it exempts the county from liability) will end June 30 unless Bill HB1607, or Bill SB 2116 are passed. If neither of these bills passes, the lifeguard tower and lifeguards will have to be removed from Kee Beach. Just imagine what would have happened Wednesday afternoon if that was already reality.
Our lifeguards do an amazing job in keeping our beachgoers safe on a daily basis. I for one am extremely grateful, and send them all my heartfelt mahalos for all of their hard work.
Vicki Sterne
Kauai Beach Guide
Koloa
Landfill makes sense from afar
As a Cape Cod haole that I am, and having been coming here for 25 years, I cannot understand why you did not set up a trash to energy plant in Kekaha years ago.
Where I come from, we have the same problem of what to do with our trash. We now send it to a plant that burns the trash, makes electricity and helps keep our area clean. You could do the same, have KIUC involved in the power, and avoid the ongoing problem, of “not in my back yard” when it comes to where the next dump site will be.
That and making recycling easier, like more drop off areas, would help a lot in my opinion.
Sheldon B. Segerman
Yarmouthport, Mass.
Roundabout deserves praise
I have recently returned home to Kauai after three months overseas. When I left home the builders were just starting work on the Kapaa roundabout “beautification.” Now I return to a completed job. Some days like Thursday and Friday Jan. 23 and 24 for one reason or another I used the roundabout eight or 10 times per day and without doubt, the beautification project cheers me up and raises my spirits every time I use it. So here is a hearty thank you and compliments to the designers, implementers and anyone else responsible for the Kapaa roundabout beautification project.
Richard Seigel
Kapaa
