Families search for headstones, National Guard recovers remains after Lala desecrates 2 cemeteries

Raging floodwaters from Hurricane Lala tore through Nā‘ālehu Cemetery and the old Hawaiian cemetery at Kauaha‘ao Congregational Church in Wai‘ohinu on Saturday night, unearthing graves, toppling headstones and carrying caskets and other headstones down Ka‘alaiki Road and Highway 11.

Some came to rest in people’s yards and businesses.

The Hawaiʻi National Guard’s 93rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package has been in Nā‘ālehu this week working on recovering the remains that had been buried in the county-owned cemetery.

On Thursday, the county announced 69 sets of unearthed human remains have been identified.

Toby Kekoa Burgos was with his girlfriend, Alajshae Barrios, looking for her family’s headstones on Wednesday in the heart of Nā‘ālehu, a few days after Lala buried the community in mud, toppled trees and power lines, and moved rocks and other debris to block roads and bridges.

Burgos and Barrios parked at Hana House Restaurant, across the intersection from Ka‘alaiki Road and Highway 11 on Nā‘ālehu Spur Road, and started walking. They flipped headstones so the names could be visible for family members hunting for those of loved ones.

“We tried going up (Ka‘alaiki Road), but it was all covered in rocks,” 21-year-old Burgos said.

Barrios, 18, was looking for her great-grandfather’s headstone.

“All of our loved ones are scattered all over the place,” Barrios said. “They could be all the way to the bottom where all the water rushed, or it could be like right there, buried underneath all that pile of rocks. We don’t know where.”

There has been discussion about setting up a hotline for family members to call to coordinate custody of remains, returning to families and questions about layout of the cemetery to help ID “who may have been where.”

Hawai‘i County took over management of the Nā‘ālehu Cemetery in 1952. There are 474 graves.

“The discovery of burials within the flood area was heartbreaking for the Nāʻālehu community, and their pain is shared by our entire island,” Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda said. “After receiving concerning reports of human remains, caskets and headstones below the cemetery, we contacted experts across the state for assistance, blocked off the area, and ensured that no debris removal happens nearby.

“We want to assure the community that every step of this recovery process is being carried out with compassion, care and respect for the deceased and their descendants.”

The old Hawaiian cemetery at Kauaha‘ao Congregational Church also was desecrated by Lala, knocking headstones off their bases and burying the graveyard under debris, trash, boulders and mud.

There are about 100 graves, with some families buried on top of each other, said Kahu Debbie Wong Yeun.

In the aftermath of Lala, Wong Yeun said they found headstones from the cemetery in nearby properties after they had broken off in the Category I hurricane and floated down the flooded Highway 11.

Zed Ka‘apana Aki, who lives in Ocean View, discovered the headstones of his great-grandparents were severely damaged when he stopped at the church on Tuesday during his first supply visit to Nā‘ālehu after Lala.

Aki said he knew that the Kauaha‘ao Congregational Church, which sits at Kama‘oa Road and Pinao Street, overlooking the Wai‘ohinu turn, would have debris on the grounds because the flooding from the Kona low storm brought silt on top of the graveyard in March.

“But it didn’t have massive damage then,” he said.

After the roads were cleared from downed power lines and trees earlier this week, he made the trip to Nā‘ālehu and stopped at the church.

“It was completely devastated, way worse than we imagined,” Aki said.

Aki’s great-grandparents, who had been pastors at the church, were both buried there.

“I found my great-grandmother’s headstone, which has got to weigh over 300 pounds, was just toppled over and knocked off of the grave itself, and my great-grandfather’s headstone was disjointed off its base,” he said.

Aki tried to pick it up but couldn’t.

“It was such a major gut punch, you know? At the time I just wanted to fall down and start crying,” Aki said.

Workers from Isemoto Contracting came over to help him put the headstones back in place.

Aki said his great-grandmother’s headstone had a “beautiful and clear” picture of her, but “not it’s just destroyed.”

Barrios said they did find her great-grandfather’s headstone, but they think the other family member’s headstone got washed away.

Barrios has heard the area where the cemetery is now buried is closed off as the National Guard team searches for human remains and try to help families reunite with their loved ones.

“They just want to close that graveyard part off for now so they can do their job, but it’s going to be a long process,” she said.

Aki said he can’t think about the desecrated cemeteries just yet.

“We just keep our head down and busy ourselves with helping survivors,” he said.

Aki also has family relatives buried in Nā‘ālehu.

“Buried ‘ohana that were just scattered all over the town, that’s still giving folks in the community trauma,” Aki said.

“I’ve been telling people, even myself, this is something that we as a community have to have the time to come together and talk about because there are so many different beliefs involved,” Aki said.

Wong Yeun said it will be up to the church to cover the cost of repairing their cemetery. There is no evidence at this point that human remains have been unearthed, adding they won’t know the real damage until they hire contractors to clear it.

On Tuesday, Wong Yeun was driven up to the church by Hawai‘i County Deputy Public Works Director Neil Azevedo. It gave her an opportunity to bless the church and the cemetery before crews started working on clearing the Wai‘ohinu turn on Highway 11.

As she’s watched news coverage of Lala, Wong Yeun said she’s been horrified to see news crews showing images of human remains.

“It’s so heartbreaking,” she said. “It’s very disturbing.”

Going forward, Wong Yeun hopes people show more respect and for those who get curious and choose to stop the church, she asks they say a prayer and move on quickly.

Guidance and support for the collection and documentation of remains at the Nā‘ālehu Cemetery is being provided by the Maui Department of ʻŌiwi Resources and Hawaiʻi Department of Health. Specialists assisting with the effort include cultural practitioners, archeologists, forensic anthropologists, osteologists and a special response team from the Hawaiʻi National Guard.

“We are working expeditiously and collaboratively with other agencies and subject-matter experts, including cultural practitioners and the faith-based community, to ensure the collection, storage and identification of human remains is done properly and respectfully,” said Darryl Oliveira, acting administrator of the Hawai’i County Civil Defense Agency. “Our goal is to complete as much of the recovery as we can before the arrival of the next storm. We will also be working closely with families and their spiritual representatives so that reinterment happens in line with their wishes.”

For anyone who finds human remains, the county asks that they leave them in place and immediately contact Civil Defense at 808-935-0031.

Residents with questions about the cemetery and condition of burial plots can contact Parks and Recreation at 808-961-8311 or cemetery@hawaiicounty.gov.