only backgroundI'm a wife, mother and grandmother. I'm opinionated. I contradict myself frequently. Most of all, I love my kids. I believe in them. I fight for them. They're weird and wonderful. If you want to know more, here's a bunch of other stuff from my old site.
One Year Ago
- by Marisa
- March 14, 2007
On March 14, 2006, heavy rains combined with the evil greed of one man to turn this island paradise into a devastating tragedy. The details of that day are well documented online so I won’t elaborate too much. For those who are unaware of the details, a reservoir broke loose, and poured more than 300 million gallons of water through the valley. Two homes were destroyed; seven lives were lost.
ABC’s 20/20 recently aired a segment on the reservoir break and the attempt to bring James Pflueger to justice. To this day, the man will not admit his guilt or any responsibility in the tragedy.
As an outsider, a mere visitor to this island, I am appalled that money can allow this kind of thing to happen without punishment. I am sad for those who call Kauai home.
I understand the resentment some feel toward those who would develop and over develop this land, to the point where property is so over priced that those who grew up here cannot afford to remain. I cannot imagine not being able to afford a small home in my own home town. And yet, that is how it is here. The wealthy mainlanders come and are willing to pay millions for less than an acre of ground. How can an average Hawaiian afford those kinds of prices?
Since the first day I stepped foot on this island, I have wanted to live here. Over the years, nothing has changed. Even now, a week away from my departure, my heart is heavy and pounding. If I allow myself to breathe, the tears will flow. I don’t want to leave. This, more than any other place I’ve been, feels like home.
Tonight, Jesse drove me to the place where the waters poured out of the Ka Loko Dam and onto Kuhio Highway. I snapped a picture of the homes still standing and the rich red dirt left behind. And I cried.
Now, like everyone else, I wait for justice.
- Posted in:
-
- Comments (11)
- Trackbacks ()
I saw that segment on tv. That man needs to be hung by his toenails. I love how you love your state. Also, now that your dh has turned 50 be prepared to be bombarded with AARP letters wanting you to join. LOL
i didn’t see the piece on tv. but i read the article link you posted and i empathize. what a dirty scoundrel! i do have a friend who was born and raised on kauai, and now she’s going to school on oahu. I haven’t asked her if her family has been affected but i pray they haven’t. you’re doing a good thing by being active about it
I just read the story. I had never heard this before. It does not surprise me that greed ruled over sense here.
So sad about this…Interesting read. As for being priced out…i always dreamed of retiring down Long Beach Island, it used to be a blue collar town, and now it’s so overpriced, we’ve been priced out of retiring there one day….makes me sad. I’ve the last 40 years going there.
[...] I was perusing my buddies’ blogs this very early morning *or late evening* while waiting for my allergy med to kick in. I found this Must read blog post on Marisa’s Dandelion Patch. Go read. It’s a beautiful revelation on why she wants to stay in Hawaii. Let them know: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
I didn’t even know anything about this. I just heard about the flood and that was it. I hope this gets the exposure it needs to bring that dirty scoundrel to justice!
I was glad 20/20 did the segment. This happened on the north shore, between Kilauea and Kapa’a. The road has been cleaned up but you can’t bring back the lost lives.
Pflueger doesn’t deserve land on this Island. I wish they could run him off of here.
We first came here in 2001. Property prices are 10x more today than they were then. It’s astronomical.
I hope so, too. I feel very fortunate that I was here for the one year anniversary. I just wish I could do more to shine a light on the evil of Jim Pflueger.
I didn’t know about this either. Great post actually and very interesting.