Kaua‘i Update: Over 400 Residents Attend Community Meeting

Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., the County of Kaua‘i, state, federal and community partners held a community meeting on Sunday, April 22, 2018, at the Hanalei Colony Resort for the isolated Wainiha and Hā‘ena residents.

Mayor Carvahlo talking to residents at the Kaua‘i Meeting. Courtesy photo.

Over 400 people attended the meeting where an update was presented on emergency relief efforts, status on infrastructure in and around the community, and information on upcoming recovery plans and available resources.

“We began our meeting today in pule, and everyone treated each other with respect and Aloha,” said Mayor Carvalho. “Because of the lack of internet connectivity, receiving updated information has been one of the biggest challenges for the residents there. Which is why I announced that starting tomorrow, our Planning Director Michael Dahilig will be physically available in Wainiha as the point of contact for our isolated community there.”

Dahilig will be situated at the Hanalei Colony Resort where he will be available to update the community with information and resources, until further notice.

“I can say without a shadow of a doubt that we have the hardest working people responding to this disaster recovery,” said Mayor Carvalho. “Our Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains activated 24/7, as it has for the past eight days, with a constant flow of new solutions and new problems coming through daily. We have and will continue to follow our proper protocols which are necessary in order for us to be accountable to county-, state-, and federal-guidelines during disaster response and recovery. We are also very appreciative of our community members and partners who are also going above and beyond to assist Kaua‘i and its people.

We cannot do this without everyone working together. We continue to ask those who would like to help in our unified response to contact KEMA at (808) 241-1800 and help us to collaborate and coordinate in an efficient manner, always in the spirit of Aloha.”

KEMA’s EOC continues to work on opening multiple Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) across the island, with a priority to open a center in the isolated Wainiha-Hā‘ena community. These centers will serve as a hub for flood victims to gather information.

Kaua‘i community meeting. Courtesy photo.

Updates on the status of Kaua‘i’s DRCs will be provided when more information is available.
Public Works officials announced today that household waste will be collected from Wainiha and Hā‘ena residents on Monday, April 23. Residents are advised to leave their bagged trash outside along Kūhiō Highway, on the county’s right of way, by 7:30 a.m. Monday morning. Residents are asked to hold their larger items for disposal at a later announced date.

In addition, Public Works announced that they continue to work on preparing a temporary refuse transfer site for Wainiha-Hā‘ena residents.

On Saturday, officials were successful in bringing pumps into Hā‘ena to drain some of the standing water in the affected areas.

Teams went door-to-door through neighborhoods in Hanalei, Wainiha and Hā‘ena today to conduct damage assessments. Teams will continue assessments tomorrow between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., to the areas reported by the public. If you are a property owner or renter that suffered damages, please visit www.kauai.gov or call KEMA at (808) 241-1800 for more information or to make your report.