Aloha, my name is Kahā Kamahele

Our home was affected by the first wave of the Kona low storm on March 13th, where we’ve encountered flooding within our home. I wish I had more photos of the interior to show for it. Everything happened so fast and although we reacted quickly, there was no way of stopping water from entering our home. The back bedrooms, opposite from the front door, were filling with water before it had the chance to enter the cracks of the door. Every blanket and towel we owned was thrown by both doors to prevent water from coming in. When I say that water was coming out from underneath the walls, I am not exaggerating. In between the water rushing past the front door we were on our knees attempting to sweep water out. Both my partner and son in the backyard digging out our lawn, creating a moet to maneuver the water around the home to avoid direct contact. We did everything we could. When we thought we had control, eventually the power went out, and water continued to flow in. We had no choice but to abandon our home for safety and seek higher ground. Upon arriving the next day, we’ve managed to attempt to clean out the muddy residue and shop vac majority of the water — although water had been absorbed within the walls and floorboards.

We are needing to complete the mitigation process to help remove with the moisture, and prevent the growth of more bacteria within our walls and under our floors. We have already discovered mold, leaving our home unsanitary and unlivable. On top of the construction side of needing replace the drywall and insulation. We will need to replace the flooring — while we will need to temporarily relocate while these issues are repaired.

We are looking at roughly $20,000

Luckily we are safe, and everything we lost fortunately is replaceable — but this is still a big hit to our family financially.

I understand that times are hard for everyone right now. Your donation will go a long way. Honestly, a simple share, and even a prayer is more than enough to our family as well.

Mahalo for your time,

Kahā Kamahele