1day Kamaka Air stand down affecting Molokai residents
Dec 18, 2024
HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Kamaka Air has imposed a one-day company stand down out of respect for family members, their CEO said they will only be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
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Some communities will be going without their regular deliveries.
Residents of metropolitan Honolulu might not comprehend how important small cargo planes can be, but it is a different story for those who live in Kalaupapa on Molokai.
"Kamaka brings in, Monday through Fridays, our bread, vegetables. Milk, milk products. Poi for the patients that love it, you know, the things that are perishable will come in all through Kamaka," said Kalaupapa volunteer sister Alicia Damien Lau. "Our mail comes in and goes out on Kamaka which is very important, especially now with the holidays."
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The County councilmember who represents Molokai said Kamaka Air is crucial for bringing in perishable food items to grocery stores and their services do not stop when loved ones pass.
"It's also the only way we can send our loved ones who passed away to Oahu to be cremated," said councilmember Keani Rawlins-Fernandez. "Molokai relies heavily on Kamaka air for these services."
Kamaka Air's CEO confirmed to KHON2 that they will only ground flights on Wednesday after the crash on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Molokai residents told KHON2 that missing one delivery barely seems like an inconvenience after the tragedy.
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"Absolutely. Because we know it's going to come in tomorrow, the day after, you know. So it's not that, you know, we're not going to get it," Lau said. "Everybody understands that, You know, it's just that we feel we feel for, you know, Kamaka we feel for the families, we feel for the staff and the Kamaka ohana."