‘Not the time for a vacation’: Kauai flood victims say tourists are treating disaster as sightseeing

HĀʻENA, Kauaʻi (HawaiiNewsNow) – After Hurricane Lowell shut off water for residents on Kauaʻi’s north shore, many are forced to wash their clothes and dishes in the river.

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Several Hā’ena residents were in the river crossing Wednesday, days after Lowell lashed the Garden Isle with heavy rains, flooding part of the only way in and out of the most northern part of the island Monday.

“When the river started raging, it happened within minutes,” Wainiha resident Mahealani Chandler recalled, adding that flood waters trapped her and her other half, Abraham Balmores, in their Powerhouse Road home.

“All the trees were coming down. It was scary, especially my daughter, that was my main concern,” Balmores said.

Thankfully, Chandler’s mother was able to evacuate the couple and their baby, but their house was ruined.

“It’s crazy how fast you lose everything. and the most important thing is, we didn’t lose each other. We didn’t lose our community,” Chandler said.

As their community recovers, the couple feels the portion of Kūhiō Highway leading to the north shore was reopened too soon, and they say they have had unpleasant encounters with tourists.

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The couple also relies on the river to clean their belongings.

“This is the only place we can do it, and there’s tourists flying through here splashing us, not even caring what we’re doing, and they’re going over here to the park, just having a regular vacation, while we’re over here trying to survive,” Balmores described.

Chandler added, “People are stopping on the side of the road to take videos of me, like, ʻOh yeah, let’s go sightsee’ after we just had a natural disaster and you’re taking videos of us having hard time.”

The couple also claims visitors have made insensitive comments.

“People are coming down here and asking us, ʻWhere’s the best beach I can go that’s least destroyed to finish our vacation?’” Chandler said. “I don’t even know why the roads were open for that, because it’s not the time. It’s not the time for a vacation.”

Hawaii News Now reached out to the county for a response and we are waiting to hear back.

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