Mokai residents press DHHL for faster relief after successive Konolo storms; officials outline recovery steps

Residents from Mokai homestead communities described heavy flood damage from consecutive Konolo storms and urged the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands to speed relief to households trapped by mud, damaged roofs and failing septic systems. Commissioners heard testimony, reviewed emergency response steps and approved a set of follow-up actions toward recovery.

“Since the storm, my home has been appraised, but the department proposes withholding a large share of my equity,” beneficiary Evette Masaoka told commissioners, also raising separate concerns about the safety and readiness of a relocation property. Speakers during public comment described homes with flooded kitchens and living rooms, cut-off access routes and families sheltering in place for days.

DHHL planners and emergency coordinators described how staff and partners responded on Mokai: district supervisors, county agencies, the state’s MIMA emergency agency, the American Red Cross, local community development corporations and volunteers set up food hubs, temporary shelters and distribution points for water and MREs. The department said it used an emergency proclamation to accelerate contracting and equipment mobilization and that it is preparing to shift from relief to recovery work, including case management for roughly 120 affected households.

Local witnesses and homestead association leaders pressed for faster machine access to remove millions of pounds of mud from yards and roadways, and criticized slow permitting and paperwork that, they said, delay urgent cleanup. “We don’t need more forms—we need trucks and machines,” said James K. Spencer, a multigenerational homesteader who described repeated floods since 1987 and urged culvert enlargements and upstream land management to reduce erosion.

DHHL staff acknowledged gaps and described near-term priorities: (1) completing assessments so FEMA and state individual assistance can be invoked where eligible, (2) establishing resilience centers and on‑island storage for relief supplies, (3) coordinating debris removal and mold remediation contracts, and (4) pursuing state and federal funding, including earmark conversations and grant applications. The commission also heard requests to use county DHHL liaison positions to help coordinate local response.

Community representatives recommended specific mitigation measures — from enlarging culverts that have overflowed repeatedly to controlling feral animals that accelerate erosion on upland pasture — and sought clarity about previously reported state or county allocations they say were promised for stream and drainage work.

The commission asked staff to keep detailed accounting of expenditures related to emergency response and to accelerate work to secure storage, temporary housing and case‑management partners. Commissioners and staff agreed to follow up with island‑based site visits and additional briefings on coordination with county and federal agencies.

What happens next: DHHL is moving to finalize damage assessments, coordinate case management partners, and prepare grant and funding applications to deliver emergency repair funding and long‑term drainage projects. Stakeholders asked the commission for clearer public timelines and quicker, small‑scale actions that can be taken while larger projects are designed.

Sources: Public testimony before the Hawaiian Homes Commission; presentation by DHHL planning and emergency staff.