Hāna Community Thanks Crews for Clean Up After Storm

Members of the Hāna community joined in thanking county crews, Pūlama Yard Service and Mackie Cockett for working to clean Hāna Bay (Kapueokahi) following heavy rains earlier this month.

Stormy weather, heavy rains and flooding left debris that littered the shoreline.  Crews also worked to clear overgrown weeds and beautify the area transforming it back to its pre-storm condition.

The same inclement weather that brought flooding and landslides to East Maui, wreaked havoc in ʻĪao Valley, resulting in millions in dollars in damage and the closure of both Kepaniwai Park and the ʻĪao Valley State Monument indefinitely.

Gov. David Ige has since issued a request seeking a Presidential Disaster Declaration for Public Assistance.

In explaining his description of the Storm and its effects at ʻĪao as possibly a 500-year-flood, Gov. Ige said, the typical flow of the Wailuku River is 25-30 mgd. The gauges during the Sept. 13-14 flood (before they got swept away), measured 3 “billion” gallons a day. “Clearly it was way beyond what is typical or even imagined,” said Ige.

We do have record of a “100-year-flood” that occurred in January of 1916. That event killed 13 people, left an estimated 250 people homeless, and destroyed 50-75 homes according to archived records of The Maui News. During that time, they did not have the same infrastructure that is in place today.

Hāna Bay before and after. Photo credit: Lehua Cosma and Tuks Medeiros via L.Cosma.

Hāna Bay before. Photo credit: Lehua Cosma

Hāna Bay before. Photo credit: Lehua Cosma

Hāna Bay before. Photo credit: Lehua Cosma

Hāna Bay after. Photo credit: Tuks Medeiros.