KEE — More than 100 hikers were rescued by helicopter from Hanakapiai on Kauai’s North Shore after heavy rain and flash flooding left them stranded Sunday afternoon. “It’s the largest group of people we’ve rescued in recent memory,” county spokeswoman
KEE — More than 100 hikers were rescued by helicopter from Hanakapiai on Kauai’s North Shore after heavy rain and flash flooding left them stranded Sunday afternoon.
“It’s the largest group of people we’ve rescued in recent memory,” county spokeswoman Sarah Blane said.
Among the luckiest was 12-year-old Zach Greenberg of Salt Lake City who by Monday morning was being referred to by fellow hikers as simply “the one” — the one who clung to a rock along the river bank and narrowly escaped with his life.
“Everyone’s giving him a hug,” Zach’s father Rich said, fighting back tears. “He’s had more hugs today from strangers. We have a lot to be thankful for.”
After turning around just short of Hanakapiai Falls, the Greenberg family, including Rich, his wife and three children, attempted to cross the swollen stream when Zach lost his footing. Out of instinct, Rich reached to grab his son but missed, sending him and his 3-year-old daughter — in a child carrier backpack — downstream.
Rich said he and his daughter were in the water for nearly a minute, while Zach was swept out of sight.
“I fully expected to have all three of us dead,” Rich said. “When I was in the water, I was praying and pleading, ‘I don’t want to die.’”
After making it to the river bank, Rich took off running downstream. He described the feeling of not knowing whether he would find Zach alive or dead as the worst moment of his life.
After a few minutes, he spotted the boy sitting on top of a small, 2-foot-wide rock on the opposite bank, about 100 feet upriver from a waterfall, with his backpack and glasses still on.
Zach sat on that rock until Fire Rescue Specialist Aaron Hawthorne was able to drop down, bear hug the child and short-hauled him to higher ground nearly five hours later, according to Rich.
“When I was in the water, I was scared,” Zach said. “Then I was bored.”
Zach managed to make it out down only one shoe and suffered only minor cuts and bruises in the ordeal.
Four at a time
Before nightfall Sunday, rescuers aboard Air 1 were able to safely transport 23 people — including the Greenbergs and an 18-month-old baby — from a dangerous area along the river’s edge.
The remaining 98 hikers sheltered in place overnight, accompanied by two fire rescuers, according to a county release.
By 6 a.m. Monday, Rescue 3 was back at it, buzzing victims out four at a time from the valley to the Kee Beach Landing Zone. Zach and his father greeted each group with muffins and bottled water.
Rich said it was his way of thanking everyone who helped save him and his family.
“We just feel like the most blessed people in the world, to have our kids healthy and safe,” he said.
Monday’s rescue efforts lasted until approximately 10 a.m. What made the incident so unusual, according to Blane, was that the river did not subside overnight.
Instead, rescue crews returned Monday morning to find the stream still running high, forcing all rescues to be done via helicopter.
“It’s nothing short of a miracle that there were no injuries,” Blane said.
In a written statement Monday, Deputy Fire Chief John Blalock said that whenever possible, firefighters will hike into the valley to assist stranded hikers in crossing the river safely.
“But in this case, hazardous conditions made it impossible to get anyone across,” he said. “To avoid serious injury or death, we urged everyone to shelter in place until they could be flown back to the trailhead.”
Sunday’s incident quickly brought back memories of last year.
In February 2013, 55 hikers were stranded overnight in the same area after severe flash flooding made the stream impassable. One woman, 43-year-old Norka Villacorta of New York City, drowned after being swept downstream.
In light of the dangerous conditions Monday, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources closed Kalalau Trail at the Kee Beach trailhead until further notice.
A strange, scary ordeal
The message from stranded hikers as they piled out of the helicopter Monday was one of overwhelming relief.
“It was wet and cold,” said Amy Thompson of Seattle, adding that the experience wasn’t what she and her husband, Kent, had in mind when they started their day hike Sunday.
Pam Kouba of Kansas City and her husband, David, were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and among 17 people who slept in the outhouse at Hanakapiai in an effort to keep warm.
“We stood and then we took turns sitting on the throne,” she said. “But it was dry.”
Mike Laatsch of Calgary, Alberta said he celebrated a special 50th birthday Sunday night hunkered down in the rain, with a “squished Hostess cupcake with two candles in it” and amongst “60 of his non-closest friends.”
The group even sang “Happy Birthday” for him and two others celebrating birthdays that day.
“I feel pretty lucky to make it out of there,” Laatsch said. “We’re thankful. That was epic — an epic adventure.”
Ryan and Stefanie Derickson of Austin, Texas were almost to Hanakapiai Falls when the river quickly began to rise. Stefanie ended up being flown out Sunday evening, while Ryan remained stranded overnight.
“We crossed up there (at the falls) and we shouldn’t have,” said Stefanie, who was there to pick up Ryan Monday morning. “It was crazy.”
Last to be transported out of the valley Monday was the rescue crew. Among them were Hawthorne and Fire Rescue Specialist Adam Hussey, who both spent the night with the stranded hikers, as well as Firefighter III Bryan Doo and Rescue Captain Gordon Tamura. The pilot of Air 1 for both days was Cliff Cates.
When Air 1 was about 100 feet over the landing pad, Hawthorne spotted the young boy he had saved the night before and waved to him. Zach jumped up and waved his arms back at Hawthorne.
“To say thank you to him was just one of the best moments of my life,” Rich said. “We are just so thankful to all those guys.”
One of Zach’s hopes during his trip to Kauai was to take a helicopter tour of the island.
But his father said his son received that and much more.
“We’re just sitting on the beach the rest of the week,” said Rich, emphasizing that getting in the ocean is also out of the cards.
“I’ll get in the pool!” Zach laughed.
• Chris D’Angelo, environmental reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or cdangelo@thegardenisland.com.
