Editor’s Page: When a Hurricane Was Headed Our Way, I Couldn’t Help But Think, What Next?

Really, 2020?!

September 1, 2020

Christi Young,

PHOTO: KAREN DB PHOTOGRAPHY

At the end of July, sirens blared and long lines formed at stores. Hurricane Douglas looked like it would be the first hurricane to directly hit the Islands in almost 30 years.

Of course.

Months of sequestering at home—when every conversation circled back to COVID-19, when friends and family struggled against financial ruin, when nonpandemic news was dominated by unrest in Mainland cities amid contentious presidential election rhetoric, when even the prospect of seeing my parents or sending my kids to school involved a personal ethical discussion about risk (never mind the political pingpong over a start date)—had taken a sardonic toll. So far, 2020 was unsettling at best, frightening and frustrating at worst. A hurricane would mark the midpoint nicely. Followed by a plague of locusts.

It’s been tough, hasn’t it? We’ve all had our dark moments. But on July 26, as Hurricane Douglas skipped past us, my family had a blackout dinner, lanterns and candles illuminating my kids’ excited faces as we listened to music from our crank-operated radio and made shadow puppets on the wall. It was a shining moment of delight in the darkness.

And joy is something we all need now. That is what we found in our annual fashion feature this year. Senior fashion editor Stacey Makiya spoke with local designers and artists about what brings them joy; their answers are reflected in this season’s styles. Call it eight pages of respite.

You’ll find more diversions in this issue, from our look at the stories behind three intriguing local drink makers to new local books to a tray of tasty tailgating fare for fans at home. And because COVID-19 is still a prevalent part of life, we talked with some of our top infectious disease specialists about the pandemic as well as other health challenges in Hawai‘i, to go with our Top Doctors list.

Remember, hurricane season runs until the end of November. So stock up, not just on essentials, but on items that can give you moments of light if the lights go out.