Hurricane Lala recovery: Restoring full access, utility services to Ka‘ū remains top priority, county says
As of Tuesday afternoon, Hawai‘i County has received 263 residential and 18 commercial damage reports in the wake of Hurricane Lala.
8 hours ago
Gaining access to the Ka‘ū District remains one of the primary goals for Hawai‘i County after Hurricane Lala deposited several feet of mud, fallen trees and debris on roads and bridges.
The Category I storm struck the rural community hardest at around 8 p.m. on Aug. 15, turning Highway 11 from Wai‘ohinu to Pāhala into a raging river that has left homes stuck in several inches of mud, with at least one home completely swept away.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Hawai‘i County has received 263 residential and 18 commercial damage reports.
Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda said Tuesday the priority is to regain access to Highway 11. On the Hilo side, the highway was cleared for first responders on Monday. On the Kona side, the highway remains inundated at the Wai‘ohinu turn.
Access to residents living on Ka‘alaiki Road above the Punalu‘u Bake Shop in Nā‘ālehu, Wood Valley and Green Sands subdivision remains cut off because their roads are buried in several feet of mud, boulders and downed trees.
As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Hawaiian Electric reported that approximately 24,000 customers remain without power on the Big Island.
Damage assessments were completed in accessible areas of Puna and Hāmākua. More than half of the transmission lines damaged by the storm have been repaired. Hāmākua Energy, the island’s largest independent power producer, was reconnected to the grid.
Employees from SoCal Edison began arriving in Hilo to assist with restoration efforts through Hawaiian Electric’s membership in the Western Region Mutual Assistance Group.
Hawaiian Electric expects to restore power to 95% of customers by Friday, according to county officials on Tuesday. Water was restored to Pāhala. But as a precaution, residents are asked to boil the water before use.
Water is available in Nā‘ālehu on Highway 11 across from Ace Hardware.
Those wanting to get into the communities from Kona can do so through a detour down South Point Road and then onto Kama‘oa Road. But the road is still not fully cleared of rocks and mud and in some areas there is only enough room for one vehicle to pass.
Workers with Isemoto Contracting operated excavators all day Monday to clear one of the lanes in Wai‘ohinu by the Yeun Store on Highway 11.
“We’re trying to get two pathways from point A to point B,” said Jason Kiaha, superintendent with Isemoto Contracting on Monday.
Kiaha and his crew showed up around lunchtime on Sunday afternoon. They’ve been working nonstop since Lala, getting calls to help clear debris islandwide from Laupahoehoe to Honoli‘i to Makalei in Kona and now Ka‘ū.
On Monday, Kiaha also had two crews in Pāhala.
Isemoto workers are using excavators, loaders, dump trucks and other smaller equipment to clear the mud, boulders and branches off the roads.
The most challenging part of the cleanup, Kiaha said, is people trying to get through on the road.
“It’s barely open and they still want to get through,” he said. “If they could stay home for a day or two more, we could get done a lot faster.”
Once the roads are clear, Kiaha said utility companies can come in and do repairs.
Temporary Hawai‘i County Fire Chief Daniel Volpe said they are working with human resources to make sure those communities are getting coordinated food drops and supplies, which were done on Monday and Tuesday by helicopter.
Volpe said paramedics transported a few patients from the Ka‘ū Hospital, which is running on a generator, to Hilo Benioff Medical Center.
Volpe said the fire department’s primary focus is to maintain their EMS presence and ambulance, getting people to the Ka’ū Hospital. He noted that the 9-1-1 system is working. It had been down on Monday.
Volpe said ground crews are still conducting search missions of the affected flood areas, “looking for people, clearing each and every house methodically.”
“Because the damage was so extensive, there are a lot of areas that weren’t searchable,” Volpe said Tuesday. “So we want to make sure that we get a good search.”
The Hawai‘i National Guard is assisting. The methodical approach is to go through the 15-mile stretch, from Wai‘ohinu to Nā‘ālehu to Pāhala, and search every residence.
Rio Amon-Wilkins, assistant chief with the Hawai‘i Police Department, said Kona police operations have sent additional resources to the Ka‘ū District.
The department has been receiving many calls from friends and family members asking the police to perform welfare checks for people in the Kaʻū District because there is no cell service.
“I think the community is coming together in this tragedy,” Amon-Wilkins said. “I’d urge people who don’t need to be in the area not to be there. If you don’t need to be on the road, please get off the road.”
Crews continue work to restore services. For questions or if you need assistance, contact Civil Defense at 808-935-0031 or civildefense@hawaiicounty.gov.
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