It was a few hours after the sun rose over the verdant valleys and clear waters of H\u0101\u2018ena on Kaua\u2018i\u2019s North Shore. Michael Olanolan was already in his excavator, clearing the main highway where a wall of fallen trees had blocked access. Other neighbors joined him, moving debris so electric crews could reach utility poles downed by Hurricane Lowell.<\/p>\n
The 76-year-old father of nine and grandfather of 26 did this every day for weeks after Lowell hit the Hawaiian islands of Kaua\u2018i and Ni\u2018ihau on 7 September. His generational home lost part of its roof to Lowell\u2019s winds, but family and friends helped him repair it, freeing him up to also help his community. Clearing out roadways became his full-time job while residents were getting back on their feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the way we are up here,\u201d said Olanolan, who owns a landscaping and excavating business. \u201cWe help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strongest storm to impact Kaua\u2018i in 34 years, Lowell brought heavy rains, winds and coastal waves to the island, knocking out power to roughly 90% of the island\u2019s 36,000 electric utility customers. Rural North Shore homes suffered flood damage and went without power for nearly three weeks; on the South Shore, Lowell\u2019s storm surge devastated beachfront properties and roads. So far, Hawai\u2018i governor Josh Green\u2019s office reported 10 destroyed homes and 67 with significant damage.<\/p>\n
Michael Olanolan, a father of nine and grandfather of 26, has learned to care for his community through his values as a Native Hawaiian and Filipino raised in H\u0101\u2018ena. Volunteers at the Westside Christian Center load food into a pickup truck to distribute to residents affected by Hurricane Lowell on 30 September.<\/p>\n
Past storms, like one in 2018 that damaged hundreds of North Shore homes and cut off the community from the rest of the island, have taught communities to take disaster response and recovery into their own hands because federal government aid \u2013 such as financial and cleanup assistance \u2013 will take time to come through. Some don\u2019t put hope in government aid at all. They know they need to rely on one another.<\/p>\n
After Lowell, residents islandwide cleaned flood-damaged homes, tarped roofs, cooked hot meals and conducted door-to-door checks of neighbors. When the power was out, communities created systems to deliver ice and gas to those in need. Their efforts persisted even as two more storm systems passing south of the Hawaiian islands brought more winds and rain.<\/p>\n
About 40 people helped with food distribution at the Westside Christian center in Kekaha on 30 September. Volunteers passed out 300 bags in over two hours.<\/p>\n
Hawaiian culture is steeped in m\u0101lama, or care, of each other and the land, even encouraging newcomers to help out, said Megan Wong, a Wainiha resident who coordinates the Kaua\u2018i Resilience Team, which ran a community hub where nearby residents could get supplies, meals and other help in Lowell\u2019s immediate aftermath.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it comes from this innate place of, like, seeing your community as family and \u2018ohana\u2019,\u201d said Wong. \u201cIf everyone steps to the table and does their part, then we can all make it through together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018We do it because we love Kekaha\u2019<\/p>\n
The island, with its 73,000 residents, is still waiting on federal aid. Hawai\u2018i has taken damage from six storm systems this year \u2013 five of which occurred within the last two months and were driven by a strong El Ni\u00f1o. So far, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved nearly $21m in household and individual assistance for a set of storms in March.<\/p>\n
Kloie Linoz, 16, helps pass out bags of food at the Westside Christian center. Volunteers organize food distribution at the Westside Christian center.<\/p>\n
In the coastal town of Kekaha on Kaua\u2018i\u2019s west side, residents weren\u2019t waiting for the government to rescue them.<\/p>\n
Dennis Eguchi, a Kekaha resident who is part of area nonprofit E Ola Mau, said when he went outside the morning after Lowell hit, he already saw 18 people assessing damage or cleaning up yards in the neighborhood. Two others went down nearly every road with chainsaws cutting damaged trees. Dozens of others were asking how they could help.<\/p>\n
Before the state could clear the coastal highway, another group was removing sand and boulders in the early morning hours. The volunteer crew grew to a handful of residents who brought out their backhoes, skid steers, loaders and other machines. The road was clear by 1pm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because the community, they\u2019re resilient enough to know what the issues are and they just do it,\u201d Eguchi said.<\/p>\n
Born out of the sugar plantations that were Hawai\u2018i\u2019s economic engine for more than 150 years, Kekaha is home to a tight-knit, multi-ethnic community. Eguchi said plantation laborers took care of each other through activities like building a community pool and handing out gift bags during the holidays.<\/p>\n