Aloha,

We are reaching out with a heavy heart on behalf of my family and our community in Waialua and Haleiwa, who were recently devastated by the Kona low storm. We are incredibly grateful that our parents were able to evacuate safely, and that our neighbors and our entire community are alive and accounted for. We also want to share that the dogs are safe, so please do not worry about them. Even with everyone safe, the aftermath has been overwhelming and the damage left behind is significant.

My parents have lived on the North Shore for over forty years, and my sister and I both grew up in this community. This place means everything to us. It holds a special place not only in our hearts, but also in the hearts of so many of our extended family and friends who have had the chance to visit and experience what makes Hawaii, and the North Shore, so special. Our neighborhood has always pulled together after floods and other hardships. But this storm was different. It was frightening, and the amount of destruction, along with the long road ahead, is something no one can fully measure yet.

Our family lost all of our vehicles, our dad’s tools, most of our appliances, and our home will require significant reconstruction and remediation similar to most of the homes around us.

Our family has always been the type to help anyone who needs it. Our dad being a contractor meant he had the tools and equipment that everyone relied on, not just us but many of our neighbors as well. Those tools have been part of countless repairs, projects, and emergencies over the years. Losing them all at once is a tremendous setback. It affects our ability to begin working on our own home, but it also means we cannot support our community in the way we always have, especially when that help is needed the most.

Any support you provide will help us replace essential tools and appliances that were lost and purchase the supplies that are desperately needed for cleanup and recovery.

Thank you for the love, encouragement, messages, and prayers so many of you have already sent. It has meant more than you know and it is helping us get through this incredibly difficult moment.