Lala Recovery

Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School reopens for in-person learning on Aug. 31, while Nāʻālehu Elementary students will go to temporary classes starting Sept. 2 at the Kaʻū High gym.

The state and FEMA will work with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team to assist with recovering, identifying, documenting, and respectfully reinterring human remains displaced at Nāʻālehu Cemetery.

Hawaiʻi Farmers Union Foundation has raised $1 million to aid local farmers, ranchers, and fishers affected by the Kona Low storms and are raising money for a second round following Hurricane Lala

Punuluʻu Bake Shop general manager Zachary Kennedy said while it will take time to rebuild the badly damaged properties of the business, “we are 100% going to rebuild.”

Included in the shipment were two bucket trucks, a companion crew truck and a cable reel trailer.

Pāhala residents remain resilient as they rally together to provide recovery support after Hurricane Lala and essential supplies before a potential incoming storm.

Even as its main facility remains closed due to severe flood damage, tbe Hawaiʻi Island Community Health Center is spearheading efforts to restore healthcare access by deploying a mobile clinic next week.

Currently, about 11,290 Hawaiian Electric customers without power, including 9,300 in Puna and 1,300 in Kaʻū, the areas likely to be impacted the most in the state by approaching Tropical Storm Moke.

Researchers at Hawaiʻi Mesonet and Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal captured massive 1.3-trillion-gallon scale of the tropical cyclone on the Hawaiian Islands; 833 million gallons of water fell on Big Island alone.

May Doi and John Hylas, who lost their lives in the storm over the weekend, were beloved members of the small, rural town of Nāʻālehu and will be greatly missed.

Raging floodwaters from Hurricane Lala tore through Nā‘ālehu Cemetery and the old Hawaiian cemetery at Kauaha‘ao Congregational Church in Wai‘ohinu, unearthing graves, toppling headstones and carrying away caskets.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs ensured that 1,500 pounds of essential supplies was delivered to severely impacted Native Hawaiian communities underserved by existing relief efforts.

Officials advise customers in those areas to NOT drink tap water without boiling it first; boiling destroys bacteria and other organisms that could be present in the water.

Major storms create environmental conditions that can be detrimental to public health; state health officials urge the public to keep these safety guidelines in mind as people clean up after the storm.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Lala’s severe weather and power outages, SNAP recipients are eligible for replacement benefits to regain lost food resources,

Supplies were donated by community members and local businesses and were trucked in by volunteers in coordination with the county and nonprofit organizations.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Hawai‘i County has received 263 residential and 18 commercial damage reports in the wake of Hurricane Lala.

The department’s Kona and Hilo community policing sections are partnering with local businesses and community organizations to collect essential supplies for individuals and families affected by the hurricane. Collection events are planned for Aug. 20 in Kona and Hilo.

Ka‘ū residents talk about their fear while Hurricane Lala struck at night, and the sadness when morning came and they could see the damage.

On Monday, volunteers handed out bottled water, groceries, chili made by a community member and 200 burritos donated by Luquins Mexican Restaurant in Pāhoa.