As the cleanup begins after major flooding on Oʻahu's North Shore, residents are airing their frustrations, saying government agencies meant to protect them failed to do so.
It’s been one week since some of the state’s worst flooding in 20 years, and the community has mobilized to help clean mud and debris on streets and in homes.
The Old Waialua Sugar Mill became a hub for many donated goods and services for those affected by flooding.
Hot meals, canned food and household items were stockpiled at the sugar mill and other locations. Volunteers organized and distributed those goods, helped clean, and even offered medical treatment.
“This is all just community that want to come and help each other out,” said North Shore resident Sean Cervone.
At the nearby Otake Camp, flooding hit especially hard. The initial removal of debris there took up most of the week.
Nearly all the area’s residents have been displaced, with some homes knocked off their foundations or carried away altogether by rushing water.
Most of the adjacent farmland was inundated, too.
Sarah Matthews has provided beauty services at Otake Camp for more than a dozen years. Flooding covered her office in a thick layer of mud and destroyed nearly everything inside.
She said other North Shore residents spent hours helping her clean her space.
“I came into a disaster, and I left with something that looked like an office. It was the most humbling experience and the most beautiful experience I've ever had — to go from complete chaos to looking clean,” Matthews said.
Others were similarly grateful for the assistance they’ve received from their neighbors.
But at the same time, they’ve questioned why they had to lean so heavily on each other.
Residents said the failure came from all levels of government, which they accused of not preparing for or responding properly to the disaster.
“I feel like people were more upset about the lack of preparation and the lack of response,” said Jenn Marr, who’s lived in Waialua for decades.
Multiple residents said first responders were unhelpful or unavailable for the first — and most dire — hours of the flooding.
“Maybe there was an ambulance out there, maybe there were a few firefighters that were out there, but those were not the hands-on individuals,” Marr said. “They were not the people that were pulling people out of their homes, rescuing them off the roof.”
Residents also say alerts were delayed, caused confusion, or directed people to evacuate while roads were already flooded.
One notable point of confusion was a City and County of Honolulu emergency alert of the Wahiawā Dam’s “failure” and that Waialua and Haleʻiwa residents had to evacuate immediately, even though the dam was still intact.
Community members described feeling abandoned by the government.
Some voiced their anger at a North Shore Neighborhood Board meeting on Tuesday, which Mayor Rick Blangiardi and his cabinet attended.
Levi Rita was one of several community members who took action the night of the flooding, rescuing people from their homes using heavy machinery.
“I want everybody just to apologize to the community for failing,” Rita told Blangiardi.
Others want to ensure that government agencies are present for future disasters.
Racquel Achiu, vice-chair of the neighborhood board, told Blangiardi, “I'd like to see something come out of tonight — a goal, a collaboration that doesn't put us here again.”
City, state and federal agencies have also started offering relief funds to flood survivors, and have assisted in services like debris removal and medical treatment.
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