Number of graves impacted by Hurricane Lala at Naalehu Cemetery rises

NĀʻĀLEHU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda said the number of graves impacted by Hurricane Lala at the Nāʻālehu Cemetery has risen to about 125.

Read more HPD warns of new scam demanding fake ‘ankle monitor’ payments

On Aug. 15, Hurricane Lala brought a wall of debris from Kaʻalaiki Road, which leads to the cemetery. Among the debris: headstones, caskets and remains of those once buried at the cemetery.

“You can see caskets, bones, like it’s deep. It’s overhead kine, so it’s deep. You can see everything,” resident Raedyn Louis previously told Hawaii News Now.

Read more: ‘You can see everything’: Remains revealed in Naalehu Cemetery destruction

Read more First Alert Forecast: Tracking more developing storms and for now the trades hold

On Wednesday, Alameda met with Kaʻū residents whose loved ones were disinterred during the storm.

“I shared with them that we feel their pain and we’re so sorry for this situation,” he said. “It’s like a second death, if you will. They had to grieve the first time, and it’s like a second time.”

Crews are still searching an area up to a mile away from the cemetery.

Families are asked to share photos and other information to help with the identification process.

Read more How to help: Hawaii Foodbank’s annual Food Drive Day drop-off locations