Recovery continues in Naalehu after Hurricane Lala battered Kau

Tuesday, September 22, 2026 78° Today's Paper VICTORIA BUDIONO / VBUDIONO@STARADVERTISER.COM Cliff DuMond, left, and Patricia DuMond held a smoothie and pastries during a visit recently to Naalehu as they supported local businesses following Hurricane Lala. Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber?. Log in now to continue reading. NAALEHU, Hawaii island >> The signs of recovery are beginning to emerge in this small South Hawaii community.

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Scoop News DeskNaalehu · Published Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 10:41 AM UTCUpdated Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 2:39 PM UTC

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She said she has been working with state, county and federal officials to coordinate recovery, while also talking with environmental funders about building more climate-resilient communities. “A disaster doesn’t just disappear. Just over a month after the storm devastated parts of the district, residents are still dealing with damaged or destroyed homes, lost vehicles, disrupted water systems and the emotional toll of watching their community suffer.

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