Lanai harbor repairs expected to take two weeks amid gas, supply concerns

News admin September 10, 2026 0 Comments

Lanai harbor repairs expected to take two weeks amid gas, supply concerns

LANAʻI CITY, Hawaiʻi (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation says it will take two weeks to repair and reopen Kaumālapaʻu Harbor, which was damaged by Hurricane Lowell, and is Lānaʻi’s only commercial harbor. Panic buying for gas and supplies has followed.

Long lines, limits at the pump

A barge is supposed to arrive on Lānaʻi every Wednesday with 20 to 25 containers. With Kaumālapaʻu Harbor shut down, the uncertainty has led to long lines at the island’s only gas station.

Lānaʻi City resident John Mahina Romero said the wait for gas has been up to two hours, and there is a $50 limit.

“Of course, panic was going to be the first thing that happened to it for everybody, because that’s the only way to get our fuel. The fuel is the worst thing,” Romero said.

Stores see rush on supplies

At Richard’s Market, one of only two markets on the island, people are stocking up on food and supplies, not knowing when the next barge will arrive.

“Everybody rushed to the stores and there were long lines all through the stores, the two grocery stores, Richard’s Market and Pine Isle Market,” said Alberta de Jetley, former editor and publisher of Lānaʻi Today.

Repairs underway

The DOT says Hurricane Lowell punched a hole in the pavement at the harbor, tossed a couple of containers into the ocean and dislodged six jacks. The U.S. Coast Guard on Wednesday used sonar to assess the damage.

DOT says repairs also started Wednesday and the work includes repairing a sinkhole, pier apron and clearing the waterway of containers and debris.

“I was horrified because those jumping jacks. They weighed tons,” de Jetley said.

Lahaina boat captain Chrissy Lovitt said she was motivated to help after seeing Lānaʻi’s lifeline cut off.

“That wharf was hit with 26-foot swells. That surge just created just a crazy amount of damage,” Lovitt said.

Concerns over fuel, power

“Once that fuel runs out, they’re not going to have the ability to run generators. The island is going to lose power. So this is a very, very critical and serious situation, and it could actually turn into a dire humanitarian situation,” Lovitt said.

Lovitt and her wife and co-captain rescued more than 40 people during the 2023 Maui wildfires. She is organizing volunteer boaters who can help bring fuel, food and supplies to the Mānele Small Boat Harbor from Maui.

“I feel as though when we live in Hawaiʻi, we just have this obligation to help one another in any way that we can,” Lovitt said.

Past repairs, calls to conserve

De Jetley said people are concerned because with the harbor shut down, there is no way of bringing fuel into the island.

“I think people are really, really concerned because with the harbor shut down, we have no way of bringing fuel into the island,” de Jetley said.

De Jetley remembers years when the harbor suffered damage from another storm and the fix took less than two weeks.

“The whole pier area lifted from underneath with geysers coming up,” de Jetley said.

She wants Lānaʻi residents to conserve the island’s supplies.

“We should all slow down. We should all stop panicking,” de Jetley said.

The DOT says it is working with community partners on alternatives to deliver consumer goods. People at the airport say it is all hands on deck at Lānaʻi Air, which is working to deliver food, water, diapers and supplies.