Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard posted a 5.1% increase to hit 445,113 Twitter followers after her moment in Wednesday’s debate, dunning the criminal justice record of a fellow Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Kamala Harris. In raw numbers, entrepreneur Andrew Yang gained the most — 25,841 to Gabbard’s 21,629 — but Gabbard’s relative gain was better by a 10th of a percentage point. It only goes to prove the old saying about the squeaky wheel getting the grease — or the followers, in this case.

Hurricanes and the Ala Wai

With hurricane season now in full swing, we’re reminded of the slim possibility that an intense storm could result in runoff in the Ala Wai Canal spilling over into the Waikiki area. In the so-called 100-year flood scenario, a major flood could damage 3,000 structures and cost more than $1 billion in repairs, according to an Army Corps of Engineers estimates.

That wasn’t enough for city and and state officials to move past an impasse that resulted in missing last week’s deadline to reach an agreement that would have created access to $220 million in federal funds to shore up the canal and its watershed via an Army Corps plan. Whether it’s the best way to protect the area from flood waters is still hotly debated.