Hawaiʻi CC Community Joins Kaʻū Relief Efforts Following Hurricane Lala
In the days after Hurricane Lala brought damaging winds, heavy rain and sever flooding to Hawaii Island in August, members of the Hawaiʻi Community College kauhale joined community-led efforts to bring food, water and other supplies to families in the hard-hit Kaʻū area.
On Aug. 21, members of the Hawaiʻi CC-affiliated Kūkūʻena hula cohort and other college employees traveled to Kaʻū, joining several University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo faculty and staff to help with relief efforts.
The Hawaiʻi CC hui included Hawaiian Studies Associate Professor Noʻel Tagab-Cruz, Geography Associate Professor Drew Kapp, Art Professor Meidor Hu, Sociology Instructor Dr. Michael Branch, CTE APT Nohea Pua, Hawaiian Studies APT Hauʻoli Viritua, Hawaiian Studies Peer Mentor Chiemi Sasaki, Wastewater Program Lecturer Charlotte Cheek and former Hawai‘i CC Chancellor Susan Kazama.
In Waiʻōhinu, the group met with Hawaiʻi CC alumni Nohealani and Kaila Kaʻawa, Lanihuli Kanahele and others who were establishing a community hub to coordinate relief efforts. With help from The Nature Conservancy staff members, the hui spent the day delivering food, water and other critical supplies to households in the Green Sands community, where residents had been without power and water for a week.
For those who made the trip, seeing the damage firsthand was difficult. Beyond the physical destruction left by the storm, they saw the emotional toll the hurricane had taken on families and the broader Kaʻū community.
“What stayed with me most was the strength and resilience of the people in Kaʻū.” said Nohea Pua, an APT employee for the CTE Dean’s office. “Going house to house, we were met with so many smiles and so much positivity in the midst of such a difficult time. You could also see how close-knit the community is and how much people were doing to take care of one another.”
For Hawai‘i CC sociology instructor Michael Branch, it was his fist time to Waiʻōhinu. “It was a stark, visceral reminder of the extent to which a storm can disrupt the basic things that people depend on every day, but also of just how quickly people can come together and care for one another,” said Branch. “People were showing up to offer additional resources, support for each other, and take the time to talk story and check in with one another. Being able to contribute to that relief, even in just a small way, was an incredibly meaningful experience, especially because I have students who live in that area.”
Branch said it felt like an important reminder that community is reciprocal. “We show up for one another when we can, knowing that there may come a time when we are the ones who need others to show up for us,” he said. “I wish that we could have done more for those living in Wai'ōhinu and Kaʻū more broadly, but it was reassuring to see just how strongly people there showed up for one another.”
Hawaiʻi CC and UH Hilo also organized a donation drive after their initial visit, and on Aug. 27, members of the hui returned to Waiʻōhinu with a van full of supplies donated by the two institutions.
Those who would like to support ongoing Hurricane Lala recovery efforts can visit and DM @iewehanauokaaina on Instagram for information about current needs and ways to help the Kōkua Kaʻū Hub in Waiʻōhinu, Kaʻū.
