Kaʻū is Devastated. Need Support.
Ka'u is cut off.
Roads are impassable. The power has been out since Saturday, August 15. At night, the community disappear into darkness. Families hear generators running somewhere in the distance, smell the mud the floodwaters left behind, and wonder when help will reach them.
The water is running again, but nobody trusts it enough to drink.
Refrigerators are warm. Ice is scarce. Medications that need to stay cold are sitting out. Phones are dying. Families are sharing whatever food, propane, and batteries they have left.
This is not simply a power outage. Our people are cut off from the rest of the world.
Our NHO is on the ground doing what we can, but Kaʻū needs more. Every delivery, every helping hand, matters right now.
Much love and aloha to our people back home.
It’s devastation. I counted six bridges that are destroyed or almost destroyed.Mayor Kimo Alameda, Hawaiʻi County
We are already here.
Malama Kaʻu Foundation is a Native Hawaiian Organization rooted in this district. Our chairman was raised in Kaʻu. His mother, uncles, aunts, cousins and ʻohana are safe, but stretched thin — running a gas generator so neighbors can charge phones, cooking meals for kūpuna.
We are coordinating with community leaders and doing what we can until County, State and Federal support arrives. Through our 8(a) subsidiaries and global disaster response partners, we are building logistics to move the supplies families need.
Our NHO was deliberately structured as a 501(c)(3), not an unregistered nonprofit. Every dollar is publicly accounted for, and we publish our IRS returns annually, including our NHO board compensation, so you can see where it goes.
Mahalo for standing with the families of Kaʻu. Imua.
What Kaʻū residents are asking for
- Ice High priority
- Drinking water High priority
- Gas
- Propane
- BIC multipurpose lighters (stove / BBQ type)
- Non-perishable food
- Coolers
- Batteries
- Bleach
- Cleaning and cleanup supplies
- Towels
Why cash donations. Cash lets us buy ice, propane and water on-island and get it delivered directly into the hands of the local people. If you have bulk goods or logistics capability to offer, please contact us. Mahalo.
Your donation is tax-deductible.
Mālama Kaʻū Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Native Hawaiian Organization. One-time, monthly and annual recurring donations are available through our donate portal. We publish our IRS tax returns, online, annually so the public can see where every dollar goes.
EIN 87-4142178Our IRS determination letter is linked above. Keep this number for your tax records.
Tell us what you need.
If you are in Pāhala, Nāʻālehu, Waiʻōhinu, Discovery Harbour, Ocean View, Wood Valley, Punaluʻu, Green Sands or anywhere else in Kaʻū, tell us what your household or your street needs. We route requests to our supply runs. You do not need to be a donor, a member, or Native Hawaiian to ask. If you are asking on behalf of a neighbor who cannot get to a phone, say so — those go to the front of the list.
Send us your request
Use our contact form and start your message with KAʻU RELIEF so it is routed straight to the supply run. Tell us your town, how many people are in the house, and what you need.
Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense
Emergency information, road closures and shelter status for the island.
(808) 935-0031
Water Supply — Water Quality
Questions about the boil water notice and when it will be lifted for your system.
(808) 961-8670
Engineering Division (808) 961-8070 · Water emergencies (808) 961-8790
Vibrant Hawaiʻi — Request for Assistance
Island-wide storm recovery intake, coordinated across Hawaiʻi Island. Submit a request at bit.ly/vh-rfa.
(808) 936-2268
Shelters open in Kaʻū
Pāhala: Robert N. Herkes Gym, 96-1219 Kamani St., Pāhala, HI 96777.
Nāʻālehu: Nāʻālehu Elementary School gym, 95-5545 Māmalahoa Hwy, Nāʻālehu, HI 96772.
Water distribution and device charging in Kaʻū
Opened by Vibrant Hawaiʻi and partners. Bring your own containers where possible.
Pāhala Community Center — 96 Kamani St. #1149
Nāʻālehu Hongwanji — 95-5695 Hawaiʻi Belt Rd.
Ocean View, Hope-Diamond Ministries — 92-8988 Ginger Blossom Ln.
Kaʻū takes care of Kaʻū. It should not have to do it alone.
This district has been overlooked for a long time. Right now it is cut off, dark, and boiling its drinking water. If you have ever wondered what it would take to make a difference in a place like this, it is this, today.