Deployed Soldier Grateful for Hawaii Guard Hurricane Lala Recovery

WAIOHINU, Hawaii - While serving thousands of miles away in the Middle East, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Makena Galimba felt the anxiety of watching a natural disaster strike her hometown from afar.

Galimba, a 66H Medical-Surgical Nurse with the 131st Field Hospital, was deployed to support Operation Epic Fury when Hurricane Lala swept through the Hawaiian Islands. Her thoughts immediately turned to her family in the remote town of Waiohinu on Hawaii Island, one of the areas heavily impacted by the storm and where her family has lived for four generations.

For the first few days after the storm, a complete power and cellular blackout left Galimba unable to reach her loved ones.

"Like many others, they were impacted by Hurricane Lala," Galimba said. "For the first few days after the storm, I had no contact with them due to power and cellular outages."

Despite the communication blackout and the distance, Galimba found comfort in knowing who would be responding to the crisis back home.

"Throughout that time, it gave me great peace to know that the National Guard was being called in to assist the community," she said.

Relief arrived when communications were finally restored and her father sent her a photograph from their home in Waiohinu.

The image showed Sgt. Paul Gallardo and Spc. Elvis Lorenz Salinas, Soldiers assigned to the Hawaii National Guard's 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, or 29th IBCT, standing in her family's driveway where they had been assisting with cleanup and checking on the family's welfare.

"I cannot express in words how much gratitude I have for them, the entire 29th IBCT and the Hawaii National Guard," Galimba said.

For Galimba, seeing her fellow service members helping her family bridged the gap between her mission overseas and the recovery efforts at home.

"I am beyond proud to serve in an organization that comes together to take care of its own, both at home and overseas," she added.

The response in Waiohinu was part of a larger mobilization by the Hawaii National Guard, whose members deployed throughout the Kau District to assist residents with wellness checks and debris clearance after Hurricane Lala.

Recognizing the long hours and preparation that go into disaster response, Galimba sent a message of deep gratitude to the islands, thanking those working on the front lines of the recovery effort.

"I want to extend a big mahalo to everyone with boots on the ground in Kau, as well as those working behind the scenes," Galimba wrote. "Please know that your sacrifice and dedication have not gone unnoticed - not only today, but in all the drill weekends and training exercises that led to this moment. Again, I send a big mahalo to my brothers and sisters helping at home."