Hawaii National Guard delivers emergency lifeline to Kauai patients following Storm Outages
LIHUE, Hawaii - The Hawai‘i National Guard deployed a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to transport critical-care dialysis patients, caregivers and staff from Kaua‘i to O‘ahu on Sept. 10, 2026, following widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Lowell.
Power disruptions left a local dialysis facility unable to operate, making it impossible to treat critical patients on island. While authorities initially planned to transport patients using commercial flights, reoccurring blackouts at the airport disabled Transportation Security Administration screening equipment. The delays inside and outside the terminal forced health officials to seek alternative transport options to prevent vulnerable patients from extended disruptions to their treatment.
Working directly with the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robin Eiland, an aviation liaison assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, assisted a State of Hawai‘i Department of Health representative in submitting a formal request for assistance to mobilize military air assets.
Once approved, the Chinook flew the patients from Līhu‘e Airport directly to the Hawai‘i Army National Guard aviation hangar in Kalaeloa bypassing the airport congestion. Upon landing on O‘ahu, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel met the aircraft and transported the patients directly to local facilities for treatment.
“Dialysis is not something patients can simply postpone without serious consequences,” said Honolulu EMS Director Jim Ireland. “Our teams understand how critical these treatments are, and we are committed to doing everything we can to help ensure patients get the care they need. This response is a great example of multiple agencies working together to support our most vulnerable residents.”
The multi-agency life-safety mission moved from an idea to wheels-up execution very quickly, with the critical-care dialysis patients leaving Kaua‘i at 5:50 p.m. and leaving the airfield on Oahu in the EMS by 7:00 p.m..
"The mission went from a request to reality within hours," said Maj. Jerrod Avegalio, acting State Army Aviation Officer of the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard. "We were tracking the importance of the transport and that decisive action was needed. The combined efforts of our aviation maintenance to ensure ready aircraft, crews, flight operations, fuelers and every other ground support entity on both islands ultimately enabled us to respond safely and effectively when needed the most.”
Avegalio emphasized that Guard aviators and support staff remain on standby as recovery efforts continue across the island chain.
“I am extremely proud of what our team accomplished,” Avegalio added. “We will continue to stay ready to answer the call for our Kauaʻi ‘ohana during this difficult time.”
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