FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Kentucky man is turning to the community for help finding a safe place for his displaced daughter and grandchildren after severe flooding swept through their home in Hawaii.
Michael Lowenthal spent the weekend glued to his phone, watching floodwaters, strong currents, and flying debris rip through communities in Hawaii.
"I feel like my hands are tied," Lowenthal said.
Lowenthal's daughter, Holly, lives in Haleiwa, Oahu, about a half-mile from the beach. Her home is surrounded by water in three directions. She has lived there for more than 20 years, but said the area has seen three floods in the past month, making it the worst weather she has experienced.
"The water came in, and it was just a matter of going from 8 inches of water to freaking four feet in, in just a matter of minutes," Lowenthal said.
Lowenthal received a phone call at 6:30 a.m. EST, which would be the middle of the night for his daughter.
"She said water was coming in the house, rushing through the house, and she was trying to get the kids up and get everybody in their truck," Lowenthal said.
"This is what started me to dad panic," Lowenthal said.
The family was displaced in the middle of the night and lost most of the valuables inside their home. When Holly returned to survey the damage, she found herself wondering how to repair the pillars on which her storage container sits.
Despite the devastation, Lowenthal said his daughter is keeping her chin up. He compared the response of Hawaii residents to that of people in Frankfort after their flooding.
"They're devastated right now, all of them, and my prayers go out to all of them. But I'm going to tell you this, there's that aloha spirit over there that just can't be beat. These people are amazing. Amazing people who have just come together to help out over there," Lowenthal said.
"So this is not trying to help out my daughter and my grandkids. But the wonderful, amazing people there in Hawaii on the North Shore," Lowenthal said.
