Cut off Kaʻū Hospital now has access; path cleared on Highway 11 for first responders and staff
The rural hospital with 17 patients had been isolated due to raging floodwaters from Hurricane Lala leaving portions of Highway 11 impassable or washed out.
7 hours ago
Work crews created a path through the Hurricane Lala debris on Highway 11 to allow for first responders and staff to access Ka‘ū Hospital in Pāhala.
The rural hospital that now has 17 patients had been isolated due to the hurricane that struck Saturday and left Highway 11 impassable in areas with raging floodwaters and high winds causing wash outs and leaving behind mud, rocks and fallen trees.
The Hawai‘i Police Department reported that the emergency repairs to the bridges on Highway 11 between mile markers 49 and 52 near Pāhala are for first responders only and motorists are asked to use alternate routes.
The 21-bed Ka‘ū Hospital, which is in the southern most hard hit part of the Big Island, and the Honoka‘a Hospital, which is located in the north, both are running on generators after the storm knocked out their power over the weekend.
The facilities are part of East Hawaiʻi Health Clinics, which are rural health clinics under the East Hawaii Region of Hawaiʻi Health Systems Corporation that also includes Hilo Benioff Medical Center.
The Ka‘ū clinic is closed, and the Pāhoa clinic is closed because it has no power. Elena Cabatu, spokesperson for Hilo Benioff Medical Center, said the Hilo hospital is fully operational.
“We’re doing all we can to support our hospitals,” she said Monday.
As of 8 p.m. Sunday, Hawaiian Electric reported 44,900 customers remain without power, mostly in Puna, North Kona and South Kohala District.
Cabatu said phone lines are intermittently functioning in Ka‘ū.
“Ka‘ū clinic staff will be reaching out to their patients today,” she said. “People should check on our Hilo Benioff Medical Center social media for updates or call the clinic tomorrow (Tuesday) to verify their appointments.”
