Repeated storms underscore flood mitigation needs on Big Island

HAWAI’I ISAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – Hurricane Nolo’s impacts were far less severe than Lala’s, according to some Ka’u residents — but that doesn’t mean Hawaii Island’s south side was unscathed.

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Yet again, roads in Waiohinu and Na’alehu turned into rivers over the weekend as Nolo passed south, too close for comfort.

“We got about six inches of rain that we measured at our place, and we lost just a couple of trees from the winds,” South Point Road resident Neal Genge said.

He, and Teena Genge have lived in the area for six years.

After seeing repeated flooding this year in Wai’ohinu, Na’alehu, and Pahala, they say it’s exposing the need for infrastructure improvements.

“The county comes in, they clear the roads, they put a band-aid on it. But it’s getting worse and worse each time,” Teena said.

While they praise the county for clearing roads, they want to see other agencies brought in to help.

“It’s really time to call in somebody like the Army Corps of Engineers, somebody that can handle large scale issues like this,” Neal added.

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Ahead of Nolo, Big Island resident Ryan Sanborn jumped into action, and created a berm to redirect water along Old Sugar Cane road between Palaha and Na’alehu. It worked as intended the night of the storm, and he agrees, solving the issue of flooding starts at the source.

“It’s kind of like playing Russian roulette right now. The rivers and the stream beds up top on the mountain, they’re loaded with boulders right now,” Sanborn said. “It’s gonna take one more rain like how we had to send all that boulders and debris back down the streams.”

With two more months more to go in this very active hurricane season, the concern for more flash flooding remains.

“Everything is saturated. Our ground is wet, and so when this hurricane came through or passed by, any amount of rain was a danger to our community,” Teena added.

Residents say flooding issues, especially in Naalehu, have been a problem for decades. As rebuilding continues, they hope the drainage system will be addressed to prevent more catastrophic floods.

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