Tsunami warning systems are firing on all of the Hawaiian islands today. An earthquake in Chile of magnitude 8.8 is causing the big wave to ripple across the Pacific. Wave heights are expected to be relatively small, between 3 and 7 feet, compared to the natural tide. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict that the tide will rise 5 feet along coastal areas within 15 minutes at about 11:20 am HST. NOAA forecasters are also calling for increased tides in coastal areas along the West coast. If in doubt, move to higher ground.
Category Archives: News
A pineapple a day keeps the subdivisions away
Five former Maui Land & Pine (MLP) employees, headed up by Ulupalakua Ranch’s Pardee Erdman, formed a new company called Haliimaile Pineapple Co, and bought the soon-to-be defunct fields owned by MLP located in central Upcountry Maui. Darren Strand is HPC’s new president and CEO.
The new company has begun to harvest fields of “Maui Gold” brand fruit, a low acid variety, around Haiku that were ripening, but going neglected. They are also replanting the fields located behind Haliimaile General Store that were targets for land sale and redevelopment into a new subdivision. According to the blog site Hawaii Agriculture the leadership of the new company “brings over 150 years of combined expertise in growing and packing premium pineapple on Maui.”
Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle issued a statement on the new company’s plans December 31, 2009. She says, “I can’t think of a better way to ring in the new year than with preservation of 65 agricultural jobs and the prospect of creating more jobs for our residents in the long-term.” Jobs are important, but so is the preservation of green space. About 400 houses were planned for Haliimaile.
HPC has purchased and licensed key assets, and leased farm land, equipment and buildings from ML&P with plans to serve the Hawaii pineapple market. According to Haliimaile General Store manager Tim McGraw, if locals and visitors buy one Maui Gold pineapple a week, HPC has a real shot at becoming a viable, profitable company.
Hawaiian Airlines removes an exit row on Mainland flight
Hawaiian Airlines removed one of the two exit rows on its Boeing 767-300 flight 16 bound today from Honolulu San Diego and replace it with at least two more standard coach rows.
Flight details:
Flight: HA 16, Hawaiian Airlines
From: HNL, Honolulu, HI to SAN, San Diego, CA
Duration: 5h 20 m
Equipment: Boeing 767-300
A quick search of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules reveals that the Boeing 767-300 aircraft is required to only have one pair of Type III exits, the kind found on either end of exit row seats. Hawaiian’s removal of an exit row practice appears to be within the FAA’s rules.
However, removing a safety feature in order to pack the plane tighter with passengers calls into questions the airlines motives.