Community mourns damage to Kau church, graveyard following Hurricane Lala

WAIOHINU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) — Authorities in Kaʻū have identified 69 sets of human remains exposed by Hurricane Lala’s flooding in Naalehu.

Read more From picky eater to ‘Good Boy’: Oahu pup inspires local gourmet dog food line

Nearby, in Waiohinu, the storm also damaged Kauaha’ao Congregational Church and its graveyard.

“It’s just so sad. I just have to compose myself and ask the Lord for strength,” said Kahu Debbie Wong Yuen of Kauaha’ao Congregational Church.

The church campus is covered in debris. Wong Yuen said the damage is worse than flooding they experienced during the March Kona low storms.

“It’s like 100 times worse than the March Kona low storm. The whole church campus is just covered deep with boulders, debris, mud,” Wong Yuen said.

Rain from Hurricane Lala hit the property last Saturday.

“The glass doors into the sanctuary were just blown out, and you can just see the chairs inside of the sanctuary just all toppled over,” Wong Yuen said.

Mud now covers the church graveyard, which holds the resting place for generations of families.

“There are two headstones that the workers found on the highway, and so they were kind enough, they scooped it up and put it on a little mound in the church campus,” Wong Yuen said. “I can just imagine how these family members are really disturbed and don’t know what to do.”

Read more Oahu roofers, hardware stores inundated with customers ahead of Tropical Storm Moke

On Monday, county workers paused recovery work after reports that iwi may have been exposed near the highway. Wong Yuen was brought to the area.

“I just looked over the whole cemetery and then, and then I did a prayer. And then after that, I came down and I went to the two headstones and just prayed,” Wong Yuen said.

A woman repurposed the church’s storage building into a bookstore following the March storms. Now, that building is damaged again.

“In the March Kona low storm, that building flooded, but she was able to get it all fixed up, all repaired, reopen the bookstore, and now there’s total destruction because the walls were just wiped out,” Wong Yuen said.

Wong Yuen said the church’s location makes it vulnerable to flooding.

“The problem is happening from up in the valley, Ha’ao spring, the flood control, it just covered with debris. It needs to be cleaned out, it needs to be repaired so the water can divert properly,” Wong Yuen said.

For the church, its congregation and the Kaʻū community, the recovery process is beginning.

“Right now we’re just taking one step at a time and just waiting to see where God leads us,” Wong Yuen said.

Read more Maui family displaced after Hurricane Lala destroys multi-generational home