Jai Ganesha!
Firstly we’d like to mention that, following our very-recent storm, our monks are all doing well. Last night’s Hurricane Lowell was at peak intensity around midnight as it passed by our island, delivering ~80-90 mile-an-hour winds or more. Ever since Hurricane Iniki leveled the whole island in the 90’s, the monastery has taken disaster preparedness very seriously, and we were quite well prepared for this storm. For example, all of our buildings have quickly deployable metal hurricane shutters on doors and widows. Last night, in between moments of sleep, the large and loud wind gusts could be heard, flying debris through the air, all with the sound of a falling tree every 10-20 minutes.
This morning we awoke to a stunning sunrise, accented by the extra light now filtering through our many de-leaved trees. The first order of business was damage assessment. The Aadheenam’s buildings were for the most part completely unharmed. The winds were strong enough, however, to fully uproot many huge trees. Nearly every road around the aadheenam acreage had been blocked. The whole island is temporarily without power, but the monastery has a big generator and our fiber internet connection remains unbroken. The island’s utility water is also out, but again we are well prepared while county teams work tirelessly to bring everything back online. The day has been spent making sure our basic utilities are up and running, as well as chainsawing trees, clearing our vital roadways and removing debris.
Aum Namah Sivaya
A stunning sunrise after a stormy night- These palm trees didn’t fare too well
- the grounds are completely covered in leaves, twigs and branches
- The Nene (Hawaiian geese) fly overhead. They’re happy the storm is over.
- Monks mobilize and begin working on whatever needs doing.
- The rivers surges all day long, long after the rains have stopped
- This tree had long hung over the pond. It finally fell in.
- monks enjoy a morning rainbow that is being turned pink by the sunrise
- As you can see, no tree escaped at least some form of damage
- Uprooted bamboo near the rudraksha forest
- Iraivan Temple looks like nothing happened. Stone construction has its perks.
So glad no one was hurt in the storm and that the monastery is so prepared. What a big cleanup on the roads and paths, though! And Jai Iraivan stone!