Recovery begins in Hawaii after worst flooding in decades
Presbyterians can help survivors rebound from torrential rains and severe damage to homes, infrastructure, roads and various buildings
LOUISVILLE — Recovery efforts have begun in Hawaii, which may have suffered more than $1 billion in damage from some of the worst flooding in decades, according to state officials.
Widespread destruction occurred from a series of storms that brought “catastrophic flooding, landslides, infrastructure damage and emergency evacuations across multiple islands,” according to the office of Gov. Josh Green.
“Usually, it's just a rainy season, but this year, it's been record flooding,” said the Rev. Kathy Lee-Cornell, national disaster associate for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. The downpours have resulted in “a lot of washed-out houses and infrastructure, roads and bridges, and (impacts to) critical services like ambulances and fire stations” as well as the displacement of many people.
It is believed to be the worst flooding in two decades, with some places receiving in excess of 20 inches of rain from a single storm, according to the Associated Press, which also noted that more than 230 people needed rescuing, but lives were spared.
PDA anticipates providing initial assistance grant funding to the Presbytery of the Pacific, which includes Hawaii, to help address emergency needs for individuals as well as for supplies, such as clean-up buckets.
“The presbytery is applying, and they're going to work with their local congregations,” Lee-Cornell said. “They’re putting together basically a task force to determine where those funds will go,” and hopefully, additional grants will come through in the future.
The Rev. Heidi Worthen-Gamble, mission catalyst for the Presbytery of the Pacific, said the generosity of Presbyterians will be important to help residents recover from the disaster, which has included thousands being ordered to evacuate at one point, homes filled with mud, and the collapse of a condominium building in Kihei, which is on Maui.
“The damage is extensive and so much worse than what is being generally covered,” Worthen-Gamble said. “These were torrential rains,” not just a little bit of flooding.
For those who’d like to help, Lee-Cornell noted that “PDA can only be as impactful as we are because of the involvement and generosity of every single Presbyterian who gives to PDA.”
Giving options include PDA’s disaster response for U.S. flooding and the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund, which is an emergency unmet needs fund in the presbytery.
The presbytery and PDA have been in contact with various pastors and disaster personnel to learn more about the flooding situation, Lee-Cornell said. “It's been a good first stage of putting together a plan for collaboration and recognizing that this is a big deal for the island.”
Worthen-Gamble is heartened by the relationship with PDA. “We have a strong disaster response team in Pacific Presbytery, so we have a lot of strengths to offer in this moment, and it means so much to have that strong connection with PDA.”
Hawaii’s governor has submitted a formal request to the Trump administration for a major disaster declaration to support statewide recovery efforts in Hawaii, where the storms have affected every county and popular places including Maui and Oahu.
The state is dealing with extensive debris as well as fallen trees, mudslides and rockfalls that have blocked highways, isolated communities and disrupted emergency access statewide, according to a news release.
“Early statewide assessments from the first storm indicated damages exceeding $400 million, primarily to public infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water systems, wastewater systems, drainage systems, airports and medical facilities,” according to the governor’s request to President Donald Trump. “With the impacts from the second storm, total statewide damages from both systems may exceed $1 billion,” but reports are still coming in.
Much of the damage has been blamed on consecutive Kona lows that siphoned moisture from the tropics, powering slow-moving thunderstorms, according to NASA.
Forecasters “were predicting the potential of two storms — both of them called Kona low — and what happened is there was so much rain in the first round that when the second one came, the ground was already saturated,” leading to more flooding, said John Toillion, PDA’s representative to Hawaii Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
Though Toillion’s church, Mililani Presbyterian, is not in an area that suffered major damage, it is just a few miles from Oahu’s North Shore, which was hard hit.
Mililani Presbyterian will continue its regular food distribution this weekend to its usual clients, including the elderly, but also to people affected by the storms, Toillion said.
Other churches lending a helping hand include Community Church of Honolulu and Christ Church Uniting, which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in Kailua. Both have been collecting supplies for distribution.
The recent storms come roughly three years after Maui was devastated by fatal wildfires in August 2023 that tore through Lahaina and also caused damage to the Upcountry. Impacts from the March storms include extensive water damage to Kula hospital, which had to relocate patients, according to news reports.
Maui’s Po’okela Church, which is located in the Upcountry and has been a source of community support to residents since the fires, sustained some damage in this month’s flooding, including to tents that are used to house alcohol recovery groups and a thrift store. The church, which is United Church of Christ, is home to a volunteer host site that is a joint project with PDA and the UCC.
So far, no damage to Presbyterian churches in Hawaii is known, but assessments and information-gathering continue.
In various parts of Hawaii, community members have been pulling together to help each other with recovery and getting assistance from others, such as the Hawaii National Guard.
“The people of Hawaii are amazing,” Worthen-Gamble said. “They are organized. That's going to bring a lot of strength to this disaster,” but still, this is “trauma on top of trauma.”
To help with Hawaii disaster response, consider making a gift to PDA’s disaster response fund for U.S. flooding at DR000191. It supplements One Great Hour of Sharing, which is typically received on Palm Sunday or Easter.
The Pastor’s Discretionary Fund of the Presbytery of the Pacific can be found here. For more information, write to [email protected].
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