Business Monday: Natural disasters devastated some Big Island business, while boosting income for others

After the Kona low storms struck the Big Island in March, Case Henderson, owner of Ka‘ū Ohi‘a, started to see an uptick in his woodworking and hazardous tree removal business in Ocean View.

Since then, Henderson said business has been steady with people requesting trees cut for preventative measures ahead of inclement weather and by people needing trees cleared that had fallen during the high winds and storm waters of Hurricane Lala in August.

Henderson estimates he’s earned a gross income of $40,000 to $50,000 in the past six months.

While many businesses on the Big Island have taken a financial hit or have been forced to close because of all the disasters that have struck this year that also include the South Kona earthquake, other businesses, like Henderson’s, have been thriving.

With the storms toppling trees on roads and properties, there has been a boon for debris-clearing and tree-cutting businesses. Damaged residences, stores and other buildings have led to new business for construction companies.

This includes new business from Hawai‘i County. Mayor Kimo Alameda said the county has hired a handful of construction companies to help clear large debris from roadways after the many storms.

Most recently, Hurricane Lala devastated the Ka‘ū District overnight on Aug. 15, as high winds caused large trees to fall, with flash flooding sending boulders, trees and other debris down the mountain, flooding roads and burying businesses in mud.

The Punalu‘u Bake Shop, one of the area’s main economic drivers in the heart of Nā‘ālehu, was at the center of the mess. It remains closed as owners continue to clean up the area.

“That whole business is not operational, and so there are a lot of workers there who are unemployed,” said Alameda, adding that up to 15 businesses in the district took a hit, with some being forced to close their doors forever.

Alameda said there is an “unbelievable yin-yang story here.”

Alameda said increased demand has some stores selling products off the shelves.

After Hurricane Lala, Henderson said he did a lot of volunteer work to help community members who couldn’t afford his services to clear trees.

Over the last couple of weeks, the business owner said he definitely made some money as people have been proactively getting trees removed that were uprooted or had fallen on their homes.

“The Ocean View neighborhood is way more prepared,” Henderson said Friday ahead of Nolo.

The widespread power outages during Hurricane Lala brought an influx of inquiries to solar companies from people seeking a backup power source after losing electricity for days.

For Blue Sky Solar, much of their recent work has come from homeowners whose solar systems were installed by other companies that have since closed.

“We have definitely been doing our best, and the team has been working nonstop since the last hurricane to help people out,” owner Josh Mason said. “There is an increase in concern from people who need help with their system as well as people who want more of a backup option, such as integrating a generator into their system.”

Mason is thankful for the increase in business for Blue Sky, but asks customers to be as patient as possible regarding response times.

“For lack of a better word, we are flooded with service requests, but we are happy to help,” Mason said. “Every system is unique and complex, but we believe in the necessity of solar and want to help the entire island achieve a more sustainable energy source.”

Hilo Pizza Co. lost hundreds of dollars in ingredients when the power went out for over a day in Hilo and lost a few days of business to keep employees safe. 

“We lost our refrigerated products, which amounted to hundreds of dollars of inventory, but luckily, the power was only off for 36 hours, so our frozen product was completely safe,” owner Tom Elliott said. “We also closed Saturday and Sunday because I don’t ever want to put my employees in a dangerous situation when it comes to driving during a hurricane.”

When the pizza shop reopened on Monday after Lala, it was packed with people wanting a hot meal.

“People were ready to get out of the house and get something to eat. Pizza is one of those things people crave during a storm,” Elliott said. “It was slammed and was probably one of the busiest days of the year.”

Businesses in downtown Hilo have become accustom to slight flooding and are prepared to take inventory off the floor, sandbag their doors and board their windows. 

“This is nothing new for me since I’ve been here for over 50 years and have a system of preparation when I can foresee flooding,” said Stan Lawrence, owner of Orchidland Surf. “Although I will say, this has been the most active and threatening hurricane system I can remember.”

Tiani Thomas opened her retail store, Ani by Wehi, which also sells coffee, in Hilo in February and was unsure how to prepare for Hurricane Lala last month.

“We took a hit financially because we lost our refrigerated product for the coffee shop and we had to close for a few days to clean up the floors,” Thomas said. “We definitely didn’t know what to expect, but I don’t even know how to prepare for the fact that water came up from the ground.”

Although the water saturated the floor, it is concrete, so cleanup was easy, and all the clothing is safely hanging up. 

“We are definitely lucky compared to some other places and I’m thankful for that,” Thomas said. 

During a press conference last week, Gov. Josh Green said the economy has been stable in spite of the storms, but it could dip.

Some sectors of the tourism industry took a hit, especially hotels on Kauaʻi after Hurricane Lowell struck. They were forced to close on the south side because of damage caused by storm surge.

“Our economy will need to be stimulated and we’ll probably have to put some emergency resources into branding Hawai‘i as a safe place, which it is, but it has also been affected by the super El Niño,” Green said.

Editor’s note: The story was updated to correct the spelling of Case Henderson.