‘Heartbreaking’: Family of 8 hit hard by Lala needs help rebuilding

MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) – A growing family of eight is struggling to repair their home in a remote valley on Maui after it was flooded during Hurricane Lala over the weekend.

Read more Outages: Restoration efforts continue statewide, customers urged to prepare for new storm

The hardest-hit part of the house was the ground floor, where the six kids were staying, after heavy rains broke through a lanai roof and floor on the top floor above it.

All of the children now sleep upstairs with their parents, after black mold grew on the water-logged first floor.

“(The rain) leaked through our downstairs area, which went into my kids living area, flooded out the whole thing, went into all our furniture We all caught pneumonia and my wife is pregnant at the time,” Father Keahi Vierra said.

The environment is not ideal for the family, whose children range in age from 12 to two years old.

There is also another on the way, with mother Jade Kealoha due in a few weeks.

“This house is just generational, it’s been in this family for many years, my kids are able to grow up in this house and stuff, so it’s sad if my kids, we don’t know if we can live here,” Kealoha said.

Read more Former ‘Bow Andre Ilagan to play in US Open

The home, near the top of the rural Kahakuloa valley, was also hit hard by the Kona Lows.

The family told Hawai’i News Now they got an estimate for repairs after those storms, and it added up to about $200,000.

“Two-hundred thousand is a lot,” Vierra said.

The couple is also trying to figure out what the additional cost would be for the second round of damage from Lala.

Unsure of how they will fund the fixes, Vierra and Kealoha are humbly asking for help, while trying to stay positive for their children and the new one on the way.

“Little bit challenging, heartbreaking at the same time, but hard for me to show that to my kids without ruining their day. So I try to keep a smile on my face every day and one step at a time is all we can do,” Vierra said.

Read more Outages: Restoration efforts continue statewide, customers urged to prepare for new storm

If you would like to help the family rebuild, view their GoFundMe page here.