Ala Moana Regional Park roads buried in sand after storm surge hits south shore

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Cleanup is underway at beach parks on Oahu’s south shore after storm surge from Hurricane Lowell pounded the coastline.

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Ala Moana Regional Park remains open, but access is limited with the road shut down for Honolulu city crews. Dozens of cars were forced to turn around at the entrances.

The storm surge Monday pushed sand about 30 yards over the road onto the grass.

In some areas, the sand was up to an inch thick and required heavy equipment to scrape the pavement. Dump trucks then poured the sand back onto the beach.

The strong winds also took out small trees along the path, and rocks washed up at Magic Island.

A similar scene played out at the parking lot for the popular Kaiser’s surf spot, which is next to the Hilton Hawaiian Lagoon.

State crews piled up tree limbs and rocks for removal and sand covered the parking spaces.

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Residents describe the scene

Nearby resident Silvia Tedeschi came to watch the cleanup at Ala Moana Regional Park. “This morning we woke up and noticed there was sand all over the roads,” she said.

Honolulu resident Julian Hosino said he was sad to see the limited access. “It’s the people’s beach,” he said. “Going take time before people can come, but that’s Mother Nature.”

Access on foot only

Beach and park goers accessed the areas on foot with many joggers, walkers and skateboarders taking advantage of the empty sidewalks, but parking remained a challenge.

City officials said an average 11,000 people use Ala Moana Regional Park daily so it is a priority to fully reopen.

Cleanup efforts are expected to be completed by the end of Tuesday, and the parking lot should reopen Wednesday. But if there are delays, access will be limited again.

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