Hawaii Tourism Authority funds shuttle for stranded victims of Kauai floods

There aren’t any tourists at Hanalei Colony Resort, but the property has put its guest shuttle to use transporting those stranded by the Kauai floods.

The property’s general manager, Laura Richards, whose household lost two cars when the floodwaters rose about 5 feet into their yard, started offering free shuttle rides Wednesday to help her isolated community. Wainiha and Haena were cut off from the rest of Kauai when this month’s flood destroyed homes and businesses and blocked Kuhio Highway outside of Hanalei town.

Folks are trying to rebuild their lives, but they have to get to help first, Richards said.

“Not only have we been cut off, but many of us have lost our cars. One of my children’s cars is in the ocean, and another is in the river,” she said. “People have lost their homes, too.”

The 15-passenger shuttle isn’t a panacea, but it’s a way to help put people on the path to recovery. Residents are using the shuttle, which runs daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., to visit the Hanalei Colony Resort, which is serving as a flood command center. There they can gather daily supplies. It’s also helping residents take kids to school and stretch their 5-gallon weekly gas rations. The shuttle is helping to keep private vehicles off the roads so that emergency vehicles and work crews can operate more efficiently.

The shuttle is filling such a critical need for the region that the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) board voted Thursday to release $180,000 in emergency funds to subsidize the cost of running it for up to a year.

HTA board Chairman Rick Fried said the agency has a duty to help keep Hawaii’s communities strong by providing residents, parents and children with support in times of dire need.

“This shuttle service helps reduce the daily stress of keeping families fed, gathering essential supplies and educating children,” Fried said.

State lawmakers have allocated $125 million in emergency funding to support rebuilding efforts on Kauai and Oahu. However, HTA staff learned during an April 20 field inspection that Kauai’s north shore residents were in immediate need of daily shuttle service.

“We saw supporting this as an opportunity to invest in our people and places so that we can have a healthy community and visitor industry,” said Kalani Ka­anaana, HTA director of Hawaiian cultural affairs.

Richards said she and other stranded Kauai residents are grateful that HTA stepped up to assist them.

“It’s a small community with a lot of critical needs. HTA is a bright light,” she said. “More than 100 riders rode the shuttle the first day, and the number keeps growing.”

HTA board member Fred Atkins, who lives in Kalaheo, Kauai, pushed for shuttle funding and said he will continue to work with HTA staff and board members to identify needs that haven’t been met for the isolated community. Atkins said he views community strengthening as part of HTA’s mission.

“If we do this right and address all their concerns, we could be a role model for the state,” Atkins said.

Click here for more coverage on this month’s Kauai and Oahu floods.