‘Praying for recovery’: Small Waiohinu church left devastated after Hurricane Lala
WAIOHINU (HawaiiNewsNow) – WAIOHINU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It’s been nearly a month since Hurricane Lala hit Hawaii Island, and some rural Kau communities are still reeling from its impacts.
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The Kauahaao Congregational Church in Waiohinu was established in 1841, and served as a symbol of faith in the town for generations.
“We’re a small community membership church, but we have a lot of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We don’t let things like this slow us down,” kahu Debbie Wong Yuen said.
Named after the Haao rains that fell over the area, the church sat right in the path of the devastating floods from Hurricane Lala.
“When I first saw it the day after from pictures that were sent to me, I couldn’t help but cry and every time I talk to someone, I just spoke for a little bit and I’m breaking down crying,” Wong Yuen said.
Inside the sanctuary, furniture, community spaces and priceless artifacts sit ruined by the floodwaters. Outside, boulders and mounds of mud now cover the church grounds.
The Naalehu cemetery wasn’t the only Kau graveyard to be destroyed in the floods. Kauahaao also had its own sacred grounds where heavy marble headstones were pushed away like tiny pebbles.
About 100 burial plots were on church grounds. Wong Yuen said her husband Walter had family buried there, and their headstones are missing. But the plots themselves remained intact. Others, not so much.
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“We are just praying. We’re just praying for recovery up above so this does not happen again to the church,” Wong Yuen said.
They’ve received messages for assistance with gravesite recovery, but are also in limbo with insurance, knowing it will take time.
“I saw the walls in the office. The mold, coming up already. And I’m like the longer this is gonna take the worse it’s going to get,” she said.
Their annual fundraiser, which was set for early November, has been called off.
Soon they hope to hold outdoor worship, like they did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For anyone wanting to help with recovery, donations can be sent to the church at P.O. Box 622 Naalehu Hawaii 96772, or online via a GoFundMe, which can be found here.
They’re also graciously accepting one other thing:
“The prayers to give us the strength to carry on and not give up. And we know the Lord is with us. We know he does not want us to give up,” Wong Yuen added.
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