Lala Emergency Relief

On August 17, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Board of Trustees approved emergency assistance for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and communities impacted by the Lala weather events, with initial priority given to the severely affected Kaʻū region of Hawaiʻi Island.

The Board’s action included the immediate redeployment and carry-over of $184,511 in remaining I Ola Emergency Aid funding, the distribution of 244 unused Foodland gift cards and 218 KTA gift cards totaling $123,550, and the use of $30,407 in remaining ʻInaʻi Kōkua Gift Card Program funds.

In total, the Board action made $338,468 in existing funds and gift-card resources available for immediate emergency response and assistance.

That same day, OHA Hawaiʻi Island staff traveled to Kaʻū and joined Vertical Worx Precision Aviation Services, which had already begun conducting independent, self-funded relief efforts. Together, they conducted reconnaissance to identify Native Hawaiian communities that were both severely impacted by the hurricane, and underserved by existing relief efforts, with four priority areas identified: Wood Valley, Kalaʻīkī/Makanau, Lower Moaʻula and Haʻao Springs.

Kapapala Ranch provided the use of its property as a base of operations and safe, accessible helicopter landing zone. Before deliveries began, OHA staff participated in an aerial reconnaissance flight to verify community drop locations and assess safety conditions.

Then on August 19, OHA staff and Vertical Worx completed an emergency helicopter operation that delivered approximately 1,500 pounds of critical supplies to some of Kaʻū’s most remote communities.

Working in coordination with the County of Hawaiʻi, the Three Mountain Alliance, KTA Superstores, Home Depot and the Kaʻū community, emergency supplies including drinking water, water for hygiene, fuel, perishable and nonperishable food, hygiene products, diapers, cleaning supplies, batteries and other necessities were delivered, with supplies entrusted to Native Hawaiian representatives in the affected areas for distribution to their ʻohana and surrounding community members.

Despite the devastation, community members have remained hopeful, resourceful and focused on helping one another.

OHA’s ability to respond quickly was strengthened by the relationships its Hawaiʻi Island staff have developed with Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and community leaders throughout Kaʻū. Those connections helped staff identify families in remote locations, assess immediate needs, coordinate safe landing areas and place supplies directly into the hands of trusted community representatives.

“This work could not have happened without the generous and intentional collaboration of our partners,” said OHA Board of Trustees Chair Kaialiʻi Kahele. “When disaster strikes, our responsibility is to listen to our communities, understand where the gaps are and act where OHA can make a meaningful difference. We mahalo everyone who rallied together to ensure our most isolated ʻohana were not forgotten.”