Kauai firefighter took emergency calls during Lowell while his own house flooded

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Kauai firefighter shared his experience responding to emergencies during Hurricane Lowell, all while his home flooded.

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Wainiha resident Elijah Frank got emotional while recounting the night of the storm, because he was not home with his wife and four kids when their home’s first floor became inundated with overflowing river water.

“I took a call back and worked overtime,” Frank explained, adding that he kept in touch with his family during the day, until his crew returned to the station in Hanalei. “The power went out, and we lost our cell service. So I kind of was up all night after that.”

Frank feared for his family’s safety as he answered calls on ‘Ala’eke Road.

“It (The flooding) was about waist, to maybe chest deep at places and we couldn’t even walk up the road,” Frank recalled.

The firefighter and his crew used surfboards to get through the floodwaters and tried to find a family who called for help.

“They (the family) had made it to a neighbor’s house that was about eight feet off the ground, so they were okay,” Frank said.

While responding to calls into the night, downed trees blocked the firefighters on the roadway.

So, the crew had to use a chainsaw.

“(We) tried to cut our way through, but then it felt like the gusts might’ve hit way stronger than that, because within a half hour, just tree after tree started falling,” Frank described.

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Still worried about his family at around 3 a.m., Frank remembered the nonprofit Hanalei Initiative had a Starlink.

“I was able to get service and I was able to text my wife,” Frank said in tears, “She was okay…I was just relieved after that.”

Frank eventually reunited with his family, but he is now dealing with damage to his home and his rental property next door.

Pointing to a watermark several feet above the ground on the stairs of his neighboring house, Frank said, “The water level was probably about this high, and these posts all got washed out.”

The new rebuilding challenge comes after his family lost everything they owned to the devastating 2018 flood.

This time, Frank estimates Lowell caused about $20,000 in damage, and he is leaning on his community on their long road to recovery.

“For me, just the most incredible thing about this whole thing has been people’s generosity, and just how much everyone’s been helping each other. It’s been amazing. It feels like these kind of things bring us all closer together,” Frank added.

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Click here if you would like to help Frank and his family rebuild.