Hurricane Lala: Grit, Faith, and a Community That Didn't Wait for Help

August 31, 2026

Hurricane Lala: Grit, Faith, and a Community That Didn't Wait for Help

On the night of August 15, 2026, Hurricane Lala tore across the Hawaiian Islands and set its heaviest blow down on the Kau district of Hawaii Island — a rural stretch of coastline home to two small Catholic parishes, a handful of towns, and the people who have farmed and fished that ground for generations. By the time the wind stopped, roads had washed out, homes had been torn from their foundations, and a cemetery had been flooded so badly that coffins came up out of the earth. What happened next — before FEMA, before the National Guard, before almost anyone outside Kau even knew how bad it was — is a story about neighbors who didn't wait to be told it was safe to help, and a priest who kept showing up anyway. [1]

A Storm Bears Down on the Kau District

Father William "Pila" Tulua pastors Sacred Heart Church in Naalehu and Holy Rosary Church in Pahala, the two southernmost parishes on the Big Island. As Lala closed in, he stayed on the phone with members of the Knights of Columbus, EPIC Ministry, and the Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem, sending photos and updates as the storm worsened. Then his power went out. "During the hurricane, we were on the phone with him and texting with him and seeing his pictures, and the last thing we heard from him was, 'It's getting bad,'" said Steve Brock, who leads the Order of St. Lazarus's Hawaii cadre. "Then he dropped off, which was very scary." [1]

What Was Left When the Water Went Down

When contact was restored, the damage came into focus. Sacred Heart's parish office had flooded. The Naalehu cemetery had flooded too, unearthing coffins. Homes were missing walls or had been shoved into the house next door. A hotel and a newly built cultural center in Naalehu were destroyed. Highway 11 was so badly damaged the district was completely cut off, and downed trees blocked the twelve-mile road connecting the two parishes. Families had no power, no running water, and no way to bathe or use a toilet in the heat and humidity. Statewide, more than a quarter of utility customers lost power; on Hawaii Island alone, it was 65 percent. [1][2]

Neighbors With Tractors, Before Anyone Else Arrived

Outside help was still days away when Tyler Johansen, a Naalehu resident and EPIC Ministry member, drove his family's farm tractors and bulldozers out to start digging people free. "The driveways were full of about eight inches of mud," Father Tulua said. "The Johansens brought their skid loader, and they cleaned out the driveway. Otherwise, I would have been stuck." As soon as his car was freed, the priest started using it to drive parishioners to safety. "We are incredibly grateful to Tyler, his family and all those in Kau who did not wait for outside help but immediately began taking care of their neighbors," said Dallas Carter, president of EPIC Ministry. [1]

Faith Groups Mobilize: Supplies, Starlink, and $17,000 in 48 Hours

While Kau dug out, members of the same three organizations on Oahu started raising money — $17,000 in the first 48 hours alone. Two days after the storm, Steve Brock and John Fielding, Grand Knight of Knights of Columbus Council 5000, flew to the Big Island with five containers of supplies: potable water, propane, propane burners, flashlights, generators, and Starlink terminals for internet access. Brock set up a Starlink connection at Holy Rosary Church and handed Father Tulua a satellite phone so he'd always have a way to call for help. It wasn't the first time these three groups had mobilized together — they'd done the same after the 2023 Maui wildfires and after storms hit Waialua, Oahu, earlier in 2026. On August 26, President Trump approved a federal emergency declaration for Hawaii County, opening the door to FEMA assistance for a storm that ultimately caused an estimated $81.4 million in damage. [1][2]

A Long Journey of Repair and Healing

Weeks later, the rebuilding in Kau is still just beginning. Father Tulua has been candid that there's no quick fix ahead. "We, as a people of God, will show the witness to the people in this community," he said. "We have been blessed. We're still hurting, but it's going to be OK. I think this is going to be a long journey in repair and healing." Across the diocese, other parishes had their own smaller trials — a tree came down through the convent roof at St. Joseph Parish in Maui, and Mass attendance thinned out island-wide as families lost power and roads flooded. At Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu, the sanctuary itself never lost power even as the surrounding buildings went dark — a detail Father Ese'ese "Ace" Tui couldn't resist naming for what it was: "Apparently, we have a different kind of backup power." [1]

What This Story Asks of the Rest of Us

Nobody in Kau waited for a headline before they acted. A farming family used the equipment they already owned to dig their priest out of the mud. A parish secretary kept a flooded church running with no power and no road out. A handful of Knights and laypeople scraped together $17,000 in two days and got on a plane. None of it required permission, a title, or a plan handed down from somewhere else — just people who took their faith seriously enough to let it move their hands before it moved their mouths. That's the whole idea behind Grit with Faith: real faith in Jesus Christ shows up as grit — the willingness to keep working, keep showing up, and keep loving your neighbor when the driveway is full of mud and nobody's coming to do it for you. Kau didn't wait. Neither should we.