Lloydminster family in Hawaii for wedding among those grappling with Tropical Storm Lane

“We filled up some water jugs and we went to the store — zero bread on the shelf,” she said. “We were buying everything [we could] as we were told everything was shutting down.”

She said the family stockpiled fruit and other non-perishables, noting one day they cooked up Ichiban noodles in their room as the power had gone out and nearly all services at the hotel had shut down.

“I have my two kids with me and they thought it was hilarious,” she said.

As heavy winds bent trees and spread debris, rain pelted the island, closing highways and wreaking havoc with flights at the airport.

Adding to this, Friday morning, Foster said a brush fire she could see from her balcony broke out and forced some evacuees to seek shelter at their hotel.

“I looked out the window and I just started crying,” she said. “It was a bit of a scary day yesterday…. I thought, ‘Are we going to get evacuated for a fire now, let alone a hurricane?’”

But almost like a switch, she said, at around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, the sky cleared, power returned and the weather shifted into a “normal Hawaiian day.”

Despite the chaos of it all, Foster said having a bounty of family by her side throughout has helped her weather the storm.

“[On night] we were crammed into one hotel room and two of the guys … went to get us pizza. He bought eight pizzas and we just hung out and played games and laughed and had a good time,” she said. “You have to make the best of it.”

The wedding was supposed to take place Friday but has since been pushed off and remains up in the air, she said, though everyone is keeping positive, especially for the bride and groom.

“We are all like you know what, you guys can get married in the hallway. We don’t care. We are here to support you,” she said. “It is all about family.”

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

by Tyler Marr

Lloydminster family in Hawaii for wedding among those grappling with Tropical Storm Lane

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