Latest / The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi / On the Road: This week's episode comes to you from Kaua'i as O'ahu helps with storm recovery

Transcript

On the Road: This week's episode comes to you from Kaua'i as O'ahu helps with storm recovery · The One Oʻahu Podcast with Mayor Rick Blangiardi

• 0:15
  welcome to the One O'ahu podcast.
• 0:17
  I'm your host, Brandi Higa, and this week we're recording from Kauai.
• 0:21
  This is the one oahu podcast.
• 0:22
  But really, in times of disaster, we are the One Hawaii podcast.
• 0:26
  One team, myself and members from Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s office are in lihue
• 0:31
  this week to help with disaster response following hurricane Lowell.
• 0:34
  And this is not uncommon.
• 0:36
  Just as we saw following the Kona Lows, Mayor Kawakami actually
• 0:39
  sent an incident management team to Oahu to help with response.
• 0:42
  Even offered up Sawyers following Lala.
• 0:45
  So really, anything and everything that's needed between counties?
• 0:48
  We're a partner in that. But this week we're doing the same.
• 0:50
  And I'm joined by one of my colleagues this week from Kauai County, Teak.
• 0:54
  Thanks for making some time. I know you're busy right now.
• 0:56
  Thank you for having me, Brandi.
• 0:58
  This is a dream, right?
• 0:59
  I know, I see.
• 1:01
  What is your what is your legal name?
• 1:03
  Is your government name, sir?
• 1:05
  Ticannaf.
• 1:08
  And first off, tell us a little bit about yourself.
• 1:10
  Where on Kauai were you born and raised?
• 1:12
  Tell us where you went to school at one and all that.
• 1:14
  Oh, great.
• 1:14
  I was actually born and raised here on Kauai.
• 1:17
  I am a 2004 graduate of Waimea High School, out on the west side
• 1:21
  here on Kauai, and a 2021 graduate, actually, of Kauai Community College.
• 1:26
  So I was one of those nontraditional students that decided that
• 1:29
  I could go back to school in 2018.
• 1:31
  Did that took me longer than normal, but, I got it done anyway.
• 1:35
  And what do you do here for Kauai county?
• 1:38
  So for Kaua'i County, I am a public information officer under Mayor
• 1:42
  Derek Kawakami.
• 1:44
  I'm primarily responsible for the digital media work.
• 1:46
  So majority of my work is behind the camera, editing, you know,
• 1:51
  shooting film and video, following mayor around the island
• 1:54
  as he attends different events and does different things.
• 1:57
  Of course, with the storm response to Hurricane Lowell, I was out there
• 2:00
  with a camera, following him.
• 2:03
  And, you know, mayor, Rick Bissen along with Governor
• 2:06
  Green as they toured the island and the devastation that occurred here.
• 2:09
  So that's primarily my role as, the digital media guy for the mayor.
• 2:13
  And knowing that you live in the communities
• 2:16
  that you are now kind of covering, right from, from the government side.
• 2:19
  What have the last few weeks been like for you seeing what happened,
• 2:23
  what's happened to this island?
• 2:24
  You know, for me in particular, as I have a very incredible,
• 2:28
  or very fortunate opportunity to go out with Mayor Kawakami
• 2:32
  and see the different areas after a storm like this.
• 2:36
  It really just brings me back to my time during Hurricane Iniki in a lot of ways.
• 2:41
  You know, Hurricane Iniki in 1992, I was six years old,
• 2:45
  but I remember it like it was yesterday.
• 2:46
  And seeing the devastation, you know, around the island today,
• 2:50
  from what I can recall, I see a lot of similar things.
• 2:53
  I see a lot of devastation.
• 2:54
  I see, you know, folks who have lost everything.
• 2:58
  You know, my family included, we didn't sustain any damage during Hurricane Lowell
• 3:03
  But in 1992, we lost our entire house, completely to the ground.
• 3:08
  And it is still something that you don't really realize
• 3:13
  what that kind of trauma does to you.
• 3:15
  I think as an adult, because this is the first,
• 3:19
  I think, real hurricane since that time that I've had to live through.
• 3:22
  And only now do I realize how deeply,
• 3:26
  it has affected me, taking me back all the way to 1992.
• 3:30
  You know, we've seen all of the different, levels of damage from people
• 3:35
  not having running water to, you know, extended electricity outages
• 3:39
  and so on, and so many people are coming together, here on Kauai to, you know,
• 3:44
  bring everything back and restore power in all of those rural areas that,
• 3:49
  we commonly know have those issues during, you know, a storm.
• 3:52
  So for me, it's just being able to, you know, get out there,
• 3:57
  see the damage, and actually live through it a second time in my life.
• 4:01
  And I think that's the way that it is probably affected me most.
• 4:05
  And what was it like for you coming into work?
• 4:07
  did you have like a little PTSD, like you had to leave your family, leave your home
• 4:11
  knowing what happened in 1992, not knowing what was going to happen in 2026.
• 4:17
  Correct.
• 4:17
  And and you know, you got to excuse me if I get a little emotional here.
• 4:20
  It's interesting because
• 4:23
  my partner,
• 4:24
  who I've been with for almost for 21 years, is a schoolteacher now,
• 4:29
  I did have to leave and report to work, but she wasn't left alone.
• 4:33
  She was, with her parents.
• 4:34
  And they are all, very well, highly capable people.
• 4:38
  So I didn't have any worry there because they have a strong structural home
• 4:42
  and so on and a place to shelter if need be.
• 4:45
  My dad, on the other hand, my dad is 79 years old.
• 4:48
  My mom passed in 2017, leaving him
• 4:53
  was a whole different array
• 4:55
  of emotions, I gotta say, because
• 4:58
  he doesn't have anybody else.
• 5:00
  My sister is on the opposite
• 5:03
  end of the island in Anahola where he's on the west side in Hanapepe.
• 5:07
  So I'm going to be the closest person to him physically to be able to get to him.
• 5:11
  And that, I think for me was the biggest and probably the most,
• 5:18
  not heart wrenching, but just something
• 5:20
  that made me think deeply about not only my responsibility
• 5:25
  to Mayor Kawakami and the people of Kauai, but also to my family,
• 5:29
  you know, and my dad, being from Palolo Valley on Oahu
• 5:33
  and, a Kaimuki grad tough guy, really tough, hard nosed guy.
• 5:37
  And, you know, he has always taught me that,
• 5:40
  you know, you have responsibilities regardless of what they are.
• 5:43
  And you are is only as good as your word.
• 5:46
  So you better keep it.
• 5:47
  So in this case, you know, I was trying to get him actually to come
• 5:51
  a little bit further east, you know, closer to the emergency operating center,
• 5:55
  closer to, where I would be or maybe even where my sister would be.
• 5:59
  But, you know, that old school Hawaiian, they just know I'm going to
• 6:02
  stay in my house. I don't care what is coming.
• 6:05
  I'm going to be here.
• 6:06
  And when you get a chance, you check on me.
• 6:09
  When Pau.
• 6:09
  But you go in work because you get a responsibility to these people.
• 6:14
  And I'm not the only person you need to worry about.
• 6:16
  So get to work and get it done.
• 6:18
  So, with that, it was, you know, kind of easy to be able
• 6:23
  to come to work and kind of put the emotions aside.
• 6:27
  But still, there's always that what if, you know, in your head, you know,
• 6:31
  what am I going to be driving to when I get out of this storm
• 6:34
  or get through the storm and I go to check on him?
• 6:35
  So it's a it's definitely has its challenges.
• 6:38
  And your dad is okay.
• 6:40
  Is he is he I got to check on him.
• 6:42
  I got to check on him Saturday morning.
• 6:43
  And you know, we had actually stayed in phone contact as long as we could.
• 6:47
  So generally speaking, I knew that he was okay,
• 6:49
  but it was driving out there Saturday.
• 6:52
  I just wasn't sure what I was going to, you know, walk into.
• 6:55
  And really, it was a relief when I walked in and he the TV's on
• 7:00
  and he's in the rocking chair or wherever he is, you know,
• 7:03
  I won't say beer in hand, but you know, you know, he was okay.
• 7:08
  And, you know,
• 7:09
  I looked at him and, you know, as many fathers and sons here in Hawaii,
• 7:13
  you know, we have had our, our tumultuous relationship, at different times.
• 7:18
  But to be able to hug him and say that you're right, how are you doing?
• 7:21
  That was really a gift and a blessing in and of itself,
• 7:23
  because I know it's not going to be that way forever.
• 7:25
  So yeah, getting to see him was, was great and he did just fine.
• 7:29
  No damage to his house, thankfully.
• 7:31
  And he himself came out totally healthy and very thankful for that, you know,
• 7:35
  very thankful.
• 7:36
  And I know that's not the case for all the homes here on Kauai.
• 7:39
  So as you're,
• 7:40
  you know, maybe driving out to see him even as you were driving around with mayor
• 7:43
  over the last couple days, for those on Oahu who maybe don't know,
• 7:46
  what does Kauai County look like right now?
• 7:49
  You know, I would have to say that from what I've been able to see
• 7:53
  with my own eyes, you know, power lines are down all over the place.
• 7:58
  Albizia trees have just taken them out
• 8:02
  and wreaked havoc on the shoulders of the highways.
• 8:07
  You know, thank goodness
• 8:08
  for our state highways Division and all the guys that, work are working
• 8:12
  tirelessly, from electricians to laborers to heavy equipment operators
• 8:16
  and everybody for putting in their effort and being there for the Kaua'i community.
• 8:21
  Every step of the way.
• 8:22
  To those that have come from off island to assist,
• 8:24
  you know, thank you is never going to be enough.
• 8:26
  They are out there working.
• 8:28
  There's albizia trees that have taken down phone lines and guardrails for miles.
• 8:33
  You know, it's something that is really devastating to see
• 8:37
  because we all know what it takes to just cut a tree down from our yard, much less.
• 8:41
  And albizia from the side of the road. Right.
• 8:43
  And you think about the time that it's going to take to restring
• 8:46
  all the power lines and replace the power poles and stuff like that.
• 8:50
  You know, I think that has been the hardest thing to see.
• 8:53
  like you said, as we drive around, as we see these areas, we've seen houses
• 8:57
  pushed off their foundations, houses totally destroyed the coastline.
• 9:01
  Certain areas where you people know is a area of concern have been devastated.
• 9:07
  You know, the southern portion of the island,
• 9:09
  took a really big hit like it did in 1992, in and around the
• 9:13
  the Lawai Road Beach House area, Prince Kuhio Park area for folks who know
• 9:17
  and seeing that was just
• 9:20
  brought back so many memories because I can
• 9:23
  I can remember being a kid in that
• 9:25
  same area, seeing the same houses
• 9:28
  in a way devastated in the same neighborhoods.
• 9:31
  And now, you know, you look at these folks who are digging,
• 9:35
  and shoveling rubble out of their house, how they're going to get through this
• 9:40
  and what it's going to take for people to bounce back
• 9:44
  and get back up on their feet.
• 9:46
  I mean, some of these folks are grandmothers, grandfathers, you know,
• 9:50
  elderly folks, you know, who have spent, three quarters of their lives.
• 9:55
  You know, here on Kaua'i or what have you.
• 9:58
  And just seeing that taken away in a matter of,
• 10:02
  you know, a few short hours just with a storm is devastating.
• 10:05
  You talked about, you know, what you saw in the homes that you saw,
• 10:08
  you know, from 1992 to now.
• 10:10
  But it was kind of surprising and,
• 10:12
  and I've heard you've heard this from everyone on Oahu.
• 10:15
  We come here and it's like a different vibe,
• 10:17
  like those that haven't had power for days,
• 10:20
  those that know that they might not have their power for even,
• 10:23
  you know, weeks from where we are right now still were.
• 10:26
  So I don't know, positive, grateful.
• 10:30
  What is the secret?
• 10:31
  You know, I don't know if there's a secret.
• 10:33
  What I will say is that Kaua'i is just incredibly blessed
• 10:38
  with some of the most resilient and strong willed people that I have ever met.
• 10:43
  I mean, growing up here, I had parents who were that I had aunties and uncles.
• 10:46
  And, you know, I was raised in a community in this community
• 10:50
  that is just that kind of way.
• 10:53
  They're just that resilient local people.
• 10:55
  We know how to survive.
• 10:57
  And it's very interesting to you know, go through
• 11:00
  something like this where power gets knocked out for days.
• 11:03
  And you do have, you know, those who aren't
• 11:08
  so comfortable without power and you have those who are.
• 11:12
  And it's interesting because I have a my other half, for example, she's going
• 11:16
  to not be happy with me about this one, but when the internet goes out
• 11:20
  and when the power goes up, let me tell you, she is not happy.
• 11:23
  And me?
• 11:24
  I find a sense of peace in it all.
• 11:27
  I don't necessarily love it.
• 11:28
  I don't necessarily wish it on anybody, but I do find peace in it.
• 11:34
  You know when you don't have the street lights, when you don't have, the internet
• 11:39
  or the phone ringing off the hook, the TV blaring in the background
• 11:42
  when you have to sit there,
• 11:44
  you know, with yourself and just kind of go, okay, what now?
• 11:47
  It kind of gives you a moment to really take
• 11:50
  in that sense of tranquility, that sense of peace.
• 11:53
  Granted, the having no electricity is no joke.
• 11:56
  I need electricity for many different things that are essential medically,
• 12:01
  and at the end of the day, not having it does have its,
• 12:05
  you know, its drawbacks, but also having it can,
• 12:08
  you know, give us a little bit of a sense of
• 12:10
  or a way to reset because we get so tied up in everything.
• 12:14
  You know, when you're forced to just sit there by yourself,
• 12:18
  no cell phone, no internet or TV, no nothing.
• 12:21
  You know,
• 12:22
  it's a different experience.
• 12:23
  And what you people, I think we're just that resilient.
• 12:26
  And I think we're just that special, to have those values
• 12:31
  that don't make it okay, but make it bearable, I think. Yeah.
• 12:36
  And if you could kind of give us an insight
• 12:38
  because not everyone knows, the way that this mayor operates,
• 12:42
  and I've seen it time and time again as I went to the community with him,
• 12:45
  you know, they were talking
• 12:46
  about the deep in Waimea Valley, you know, he was talking to folks about
• 12:50
  you don't work as a PA as coming on, you know, very, very positive.
• 12:53
  And the guys are like, oh, no, we know we see the the men working.
• 12:56
  We know what's going to come eventually.
• 12:58
  And there just the whole time it was just like this positive conversations.
• 13:01
  And he went door to door to door and his exact same thing.
• 13:04
  Where does that come from with this mayor?
• 13:06
  If you could just give us
• 13:07
  I mean, is that something you guys see all year long or, you know,
• 13:09
  because this disaster's tested him in ways he probably hasn't been before too.
• 13:13
  You know, as I answer this question,
• 13:16
  I want to be fully transparent.
• 13:19
  Now, I've only been a part of the mayor's office, coming up on three years.
• 13:23
  If I make it that far, December 1st.
• 13:25
  I have known mayor called kami for
• 13:29
  about 20 to 21 years, actually, and I can tell you
• 13:35
  what you see is truly what you get.
• 13:38
  Sure do.
• 13:40
  Are there challenging days?
• 13:41
  Are there times where things get intense and, you know, a little rough?
• 13:45
  Sure.
• 13:46
  But I think it's safe to say, by my own personal experience,
• 13:49
  that mayor Kawakami doesn't have bad days.
• 13:52
  You might have a few sketchy moments, but not bad days.
• 13:57
  Just a few moments, maybe here or there.
• 13:59
  And you know, the one thing with him is that he is exactly the way he is
• 14:04
  with us, as he is with the community and anybody, you know,
• 14:09
  he is, that kind of a positive leader, that kind of leader
• 14:13
  that just gives you energy and gives you hope,
• 14:16
  whether he does it by design or naturally or whatever it is.
• 14:20
  I don't even know, because I can say that he's always that way with me.
• 14:24
  You know, when it comes down to it, he's going to give you hope.
• 14:28
  He's going to give you a solution.
• 14:30
  He's going to help you see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
• 14:34
  And I think that that's just his natural way.
• 14:36
  And I think Kaua'i has been blessed to be able to have a mayor
• 14:40
  for as long as we've had.
• 14:41
  And it's going to be eight years at the end of his term, come December.
• 14:46
  It is so
• 14:47
  incredibly fortunate for us as Kaua'i people to have him here
• 14:51
  and to have a leader like that, because I think those are very rare.
• 14:55
  I've been around some incredible leaders in my time,
• 14:57
  and being around him is a totally new, different experience.
• 15:01
  And, that's just how he is, interestingly enough.
• 15:05
  And I ask this question to, people that come on this podcast often,
• 15:08
  but for you personally, Teak, is there someone that you've looked up
• 15:13
  to, either a mentor or leader whose leadership style you try to mimic?
• 15:16
  Who is that person and why? Oh ho ho.
• 15:19
  You know, I really gonna answer this, by saying
• 15:23
  I don't think we have enough time in this episode, Brandon,
• 15:25
  but I would love to join you again.
• 15:27
  I'm just saying, you know,
• 15:30
  gosh,
• 15:31
  I have been my life has to know my life.
• 15:35
  And to know where I come from, my story would be to know that I have been impacted
• 15:40
  by incredible leaders, incredible people all my life.
• 15:44
  I grew up in the walls of Shriners Hospital on Oahu from, birth to 21.
• 15:49
  I've.
• 15:50
  I've been able to have heroes in my life
• 15:53
  that, have never known the impact that they've had on me.
• 15:56
  So what?
• 15:58
  Picking one is going to be really tough, and especially in
• 16:02
  this moment, would be really tricky.
• 16:05
  But if I had to choose one, I would say.
• 16:11
  Personally, would be my mom.
• 16:13
  You know, she's passed 20 in 2017.
• 16:16
  But if she's not here, our as she's not here,
• 16:23
  that was, you know, that was everything to me.
• 16:25
  That was my, my hero, my everything.
• 16:28
  She was the reason I lived, most of my life.
• 16:31
  And my reason for living.
• 16:33
  When I think about people in and around my life
• 16:36
  that are alive here today, you know, I can't just choose one.
• 16:43
  Because, again, if you look at my life, you know who I am
• 16:47
  and where I come from and the life I've had to live.
• 16:49
  So many people have
• 16:53
  come to my aid and supported me in ways.
• 16:56
  And you know what, Brenda?
• 16:56
  I think the best way I can sum this up is saying that in my role
• 17:03
  for mayor, call kami Kaua'i
• 17:05
  County and further the people of Kaua'i.
• 17:08
  I think
• 17:10
  it's most important for me to say that
• 17:14
  I think the biggest reason that I love my job and I love what I do,
• 17:18
  not only for the mayor, but for the people of Kaua'i
• 17:21
  as kind of the liaison between the people of color in the mayor
• 17:26
  is because Kaua'i has given so much to me over my life,
• 17:30
  and I don't just mean my family, I mean everybody.
• 17:34
  And when I think about it, it really brings me to tears because
• 17:39
  it doesn't matter if you talk about school teachers, from elementary school,
• 17:43
  to teachers at Waimea High School
• 17:47
  to college professors at Kaua'i Community College,
• 17:50
  it doesn't matter if you talk about professionals like Ron Wiley,
• 17:53
  like Mark Valentine, people
• 17:57
  that have taught me skills to be able to have the life that I have right now.
• 18:01
  If you talk about miracle kami, Sara Blaine,
• 18:03
  Alden, Oliver, la Kim, Tomoka,
• 18:06
  the people that gave me a shot to be here in this seat.
• 18:11
  There is.
• 18:13
  Those are the heroes of my life.
• 18:14
  Those are the people that have given me everything because
• 18:18
  they have taken a chance on me when they didn't have to.
• 18:21
  And Kawaihae, man, when I first started in radio,
• 18:26
  there were two, two instances where I made mistakes on the air.
• 18:30
  And you know what that's like.
• 18:31
  Randy and I was put out on Rice Street to, hold a sign to identify my mistake.
• 18:37
  And, you know, it was supposed to be punishment.
• 18:40
  And one of the greatest things I can say is
• 18:42
  Kaua'i had two options that they they could.
• 18:45
  And this is over 20 years ago.
• 18:46
  They they had the option to put me down and drill me into the ground,
• 18:51
  make me feel it extra, or they had the opportunity to lift me up.
• 18:55
  People drove by me that day waving, waving right back at me.
• 18:59
  People lifted me up so hard.
• 19:02
  People started dropping food and snacks and a cooler
• 19:06
  and drinks and all these things, and they lifted me up in that moment.
• 19:11
  And when I remember thinking to myself, not a single one of them had to do it. So
• 19:16
  I think the people of Kaua'i are really the heroes in everyday life.
• 19:20
  They are giving in
• 19:23
  and of themselves, their resources and everything and we're seeing it
• 19:26
  every day that we're out in the community watching this storm recovery.
• 19:30
  It's incredible.
• 19:31
  Yeah.
• 19:31
  And for those on Oahu, you know, maybe they don't follow the court in there,
• 19:34
  but your job really is part of the safety messaging, right?
• 19:38
  For folks who are trying to clean up,
• 19:39
  you know, you push out things on social about where folks can drop off
• 19:43
  everything from green ways to household ways to keep them safe.
• 19:45
  Really.
• 19:46
  And then the mayor's message at the end of the day, a really big one,
• 19:49
  because that's a real comprehensive message.
• 19:51
  So the things that you're doing.
• 19:53
  So we know how important social media is
• 19:54
  now, information you're pushing out the way that you're keeping Kauai safe.
• 19:58
  I want to go back to your first mentor.
• 20:00
  If your mom saw everything that you're doing to this day, that you're doing
• 20:03
  to help the people that helped you, what do you think she would tell you? Oh,
• 20:09
  you know, I
• 20:10
  want to say that I wish I knew the answer to that question.
• 20:13
  I'd like to say that knowing her and knowing the way she was
• 20:17
  and the way she was with me, she'd probably just be in tears.
• 20:22
  And she would probably just say that she was so proud of me, you know?
• 20:26
  And, I wish that there was a way that I could hear those words,
• 20:30
  because I do lay awake and stare at the stars,
• 20:33
  wishing that I had the opportunity to hear what she would say.
• 20:36
  You know, there's been many different benefits in my role, here
• 20:41
  with Kaua'i County, as well as my role with Kong radio, you know, 20 years ago.
• 20:46
  And, you know, being able to give her that time,
• 20:50
  and allow her to live through me at that time was incredible.
• 20:54
  And I wish she was still here today,
• 20:56
  but I think it would just be that she's proud of me and she's happy,
• 20:59
  you know, because I think for her, seeing me happy was all she really wanted.
• 21:05
  I assume that's what all moms want is just to see their kids happy.
• 21:08
  And I just wish she was here to share in the life that I'm living today.
• 21:12
  Because if anybody deserves the credit, if anybody deserves, you know,
• 21:17
  whatever the benefits are or the fun parts of
• 21:20
  whatever it is that I may be able to be a part of, it's her.
• 21:23
  And, I just think she would be very proud.
• 21:27
  You know, it's fun in that sense, to be able to think about that.
• 21:31
  Well, take is there anything that we missed?
• 21:34
  No, but I just want to know, how do I schedule another episode?
• 21:37
  I mean, I got to come back,
• 21:39
  you know, you definitely got to come back, that's for sure.
• 21:42
  No, I don't think we missed anything.
• 21:43
  It has been a pleasure and honor and a dream
• 21:47
  to be able to share a microphone with you and share some air with you.
• 21:51
  You know, I've, like I've said,
• 21:52
  I've known your history for many years as Uncle Robert Kekaula's protege.
• 21:57
  And, you know, it's just every single opportunity that I get
• 22:03
  to, you know, meet somebody I've looked up to, like you or,
• 22:06
  you know, work with somebody on the air in this capacity
• 22:10
  is just always such a dream and such a blessing.
• 22:12
  So now, I think we covered everything, and,
• 22:15
  I'm always willing to help and support you in anything else you do.
• 22:18
  So please let me know how I can.
• 22:20
  And the same goes for you. Amen.
• 22:22
  The hardest thing was for your time.
• 22:23
  Thank you Brandi I appreciate it.
• 22:24
  And for ways to help or ways to get help, like
• 22:27
  we mentioned, you can head to Kauai recovers.org.
• 22:30
  And mahalo to all of you for listening.
• 22:32
  And until next time. Aloha.