Single mother ‘taking it day by day,’ after Hurricane Lowell ruins her Haena home

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A single mother of two needs help after Hurricane Lowell ruined her Haena home.

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On the night of the storm, Michelle Stewart hunkered down in her living room, under a table with her two sons.

All three made it out okay, but their home took multiple hits.

Lowell’s whipping winds sent a large tree crashing down on Stewart’s roof, and rainwater soaked her belongings.

The home’s septic tank overflowed because of flooding, and some of the water is still sitting in the home’s backyard.

“With our septic overflowing, we don’t know if it’s safe,” Stewart said. “It was like Jumanji raining in our rooms, and our beds were soaking wet, our dressers, and then everything on the floor was just soaking wet.”

Then on Thursday, Stewart says more rain came through her now compromised roof, drenching the interior again.

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“It’s definitely just been day to day. We don’t know what’s going to happen, there’s a lot of repairs that need to happen to our house in order for us to move back in… my 6-year-old has special needs,” Stewart added.

Stewart herself lives with Lyme Disease and has costly medical bills.

With tourism stalled in the wake of the storm, Stewart’s job cleaning vacation rentals is on hold.

Fortunately, the owners of one of the properties she cleans are letting her and her sons stay there until Oct. 6, but they are still trying to figure out what to do afterward.

“Basically, if I have to get out, then I’m going to pop a tent in my front yard or hopefully move to another one, so I’m just taking it day by day,” Stewart shared.

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Stewart did not want to ask for help, but she needs it.

Click here if you would like to offer her and her family aid.