By the Inside Outreach team · September 5, 2026Lala never made landfall. It didn’t have to.
It brushed past the Big Island in August and dumped more rain than most of us have ever seen. In Kaʻū, homes washed away. Cars ended up in the trees. The highway was cut both ways.
Kaʻū is rural. It’s a long way from help, and it’s easy to forget. So we went.
Machines first
Before anybody can clean a house, they have to be able to reach it. Kerry Catt donated his time and his heavy equipment. Keith and Robby Kauhane ran the machines and hauled debris. Pono Hana Hauling dropped a bin.
Piles that would have taken a crew with shovels weeks to move were gone in days. That meant families could finally get inside their homes and start.
Beating the mold
This week we were back at Ancient Valley Growers in Wood Valley, pulling out soaked drywall and debris. That might not sound like much. It is.
When water sits in a wall, mold follows. Getting the wet stuff out fast is the difference between a cleanup and a house that makes a family sick a month from now.
The people
Up the valley is Glenn. He’s shaped his 20-plus acre farm by hand for most of his life. A big piece of it is gone now. Farms like his don’t come back in one workday.
In Pāhala, Leilei and Doug were flooded out. Ned is trying to rebuild with help from his own GoFundMe. These aren’t numbers to us. We know their names.
What we keep hearing
A lot of the families out here have no insurance to call. Some didn’t have it. Some have it and it won’t cover what happened. Either way, they’re starting over with whatever’s left in the bank.
That’s why we’re not doing a quick trip and posting about it. Recovery in Kaʻū will be measured in months and years.
“Kaʻū is tough people. Give them some love.”
Inside Outreach
How you can help
By the numbers
Governor Green said more than 100 homes were swept away on Hawaiʻi Island. The National Weather Service recorded 43.5 inches of rain in 48 hours at Laupāhoehoe. At the peak, about 250,000 homes and businesses lost power.
Those are big numbers. But out here, it comes down to one driveway, one farm, one family at a time.
What families need most
Diesel for the machines. Drywall and flooring. Fuel for families driving back and forth to their properties. Help with permits and paperwork. And honestly, people who will just show up and say we see you.
Tyler from Dickinson Contracting and Tiger from the Hawaii Fitness Foundation heard what Kaʻū needed and put a crew together. Home Depot took $500 off the flooring. Every little bit helps.
Share their stories. Support the local businesses that stayed open for their neighbors. Give to families directly through their own GoFundMe pages. And give, so when the next need shows up in Kaʻū, or anywhere else, we can move that same day.
Mahalo to Kerry, Keith, Robby, Pono Hana Hauling and Ancient Valley Growers. We’re coming back.
