Water distribution, device charging sites open on Hawaii Island after Lala
Organizers plan daily distributions throughout the week as residents recover from storm impacts
VOLCANO (HawaiiNewsNow) - Nine emergency water distribution and electronic device charging sites have opened across Hawaiʻi Island to support residents recovering from Hurricane Lala.
The sites opened Monday afternoon and will remain active while supplies last.
The distribution effort is designed to provide immediate relief to communities facing utility outages and resource shortages following the storm.
Active distribution sites
Water and charging services are available at the following locations:
- Keaʻau: HPP Community Association, 15-1570 Makuʻu Dr.
- Pāhoa: Billy Kenoi Park, Softball Concessions
- Kurtistown: Hawaiian Acres, 16-1325 Moho Rd.
- Mountain View: Fern Acres, 11-3606 Lehua St.
- Mountain View: Fern Forest, 11-2864 Ala Kapena Dr.
- Volcano: Cooper Center, 19-4030 Wright Rd.
- Pāhala: Pāhala Community Center, 96 Kamani St. #1149
- Nāʻālehu: Nāʻālehu Hongwanji, 95-5695 Hawaiʻi Belt Rd.
- Ocean View: Hope-Diamond Ministries, 92-8988 Ginger Blossom Ln.
The Department of Water Supply has deployed potable water tankers or installed temporary spigots at the following locations for customers’ use.
- Kalapana: Near the intersection of Chain of Craters and Ahia Road
- Papaikou: Spigots located mauka/Hamakua side of Highway 19 across of Kimura General Store
- Kaloko Mauka: Spigots located at Kaloko Mauka tank #2 below Hao Street
- Naalehu: Parking area across from Ace Hardware
Community members seek power and resources
In addition to receiving water, residents are utilizing the sites to charge essential electronics. Volcano resident Cole Kirby said he had been running his car engine to charge his phone before learning about the station at the Cooper Center.
“I’ve been using my vehicle to charge my phone, just running the motor and then using the alternator and the battery to charge my phone,” Kirby said. “But it’s pretty inefficient as far as fuel and battery for your vehicle battery is concerned. So when I saw on Facebook that we have battery charging over here at the Cooper Center, I was excited.”
Plans for daily assistance
The relief effort is being coordinated by the Vibrant Hawaiʻi Resilience Hubs, the County of Hawaiʻi, and numerous community partners, including KTA Super Stores, The Food Basket, and The Salvation Army.
Ashley Kierkiewicz, Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s chief resilience officer, said the organization is working with local leaders to sustain the operations.
“We are looking at doing daily distributions this week,” Kierkiewicz said. “Again, staying in close contact with people that live in various communities. We’ve got hub captains everywhere to just gauge need.”
Kierkiewicz advised residents to check Vibrant Hawaiʻi’s website for daily schedule updates.
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