HONOLULU (KHON2) — On day one of the government shutdown, one of Hawaii’s most visited landmarks nearly went dark until an agreement to use non-profit funding allowed the park to open its doors.
Jennifer Bell and John Singleton, visiting from Oregon, waited four hours to see the USS Arizona Memorial.
“After being one of three or 400 in line, we ended up being about number two in line and we got in there and got to go out on the boat, and it was very, very impressive to see. John has a distant relative that’s interred out there, so seeing that name was pretty powerful. It brought tears to our eyes,” said Bell.
It’s not known how long the funding will last to keep the parks operating. For Hawaii’s other national parks, those without accessible areas will be closed, except for minimal basic visitor services.
Meanwhile, the Hawaii Foodbank is bracing for an influx of families if the shutdown drags on. Food insecurity is already at record highs. About 160,000 people are currently being served. With federal workers facing lost paychecks, demand is expected to grow.
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“For us, what that means is that there’s going to be added strain on households. Which means that more folks will show up to our partners in the community and reach out to us in need of support. So ultimately, that will put a lot of strain on our resources,” said Marielle Terbio, Hawaii Foodbank Vice President of Strategy and Programming.
Food programs, including SNAP and WIC, remain funded for now, but the Foodbank is also preparing to serve those clients if the shutdown goes on for more than a month.
At the airport, TSA and air traffic controllers are expected to work although they are not getting paid. Travelers at Honolulu International Airport KHON2 spoke with arrived early, expected delays.
“We have precheck, so I’m not too worried, but yeah, we just decided to come on time so we can get through the line and get to our gate,” said Anabell Ramirez.
There are approximately 24,000 civilian federal employees in Hawaii and another 47,000 active duty service members. That doesn’t include federal contract workers and their dependents. So the longer the shutdown, the deeper the impact on the state.