Sea snatches sand, security

Landscaping contractor Greg Culver isn’t sure what the official definition might be for what happened to the houses along Ke Nui Road near Rocky Point during the weekend, but he knows a disaster when he sees one.

"This," Culver said, surveying the sheer sandy cliff that exists where his friend Alice Lunt’s wooden deck once was, "is a disaster."

Culver was one of scores of people who came to the aid of friends, family members and neighbors whose beachside properties were devastated by rapid erosion caused by a powerful westerly swell that arrived on Thursday.

A high-surf warning remains in effect for the north and west shores of Oahu, Kauai, Niihau and Molokai and the north shores of Maui through 6 p.m. today. The National Weather Service predicts that surf along north shores could reach 20 to 25 feet overnight, decreasing to 15 to 20 feet by this afternoon.

High waves generated by the current swell washed away the sandy plateau that supported Lunt’s deck, causing the deck to collapse into the churning waters.

"The deck was right there," Culver said, pointing at phantom space in the open air. "And right there was where we had just barbecued."

As Culver spoke, dozens of weary but unrelenting volunteers filled and hauled sandbags to help fortify a half-dozen other homes against the waves. One volunteer used a loader to drop large boulders off the precipice of the properties and onto the beach. Offshore, fallen trees, broken lumber and a section of corrugated roofing bobbed in a hundred-yard stretch of roiling brown water.

Nearby, Lunt checked in with her neighbors in an effort to coordinate delivery of more bags and more sand.

The lost income from not being able to rent her property during the North Shore’s peak winter season was considerable — and she certainly did not want to think about what she had already spent trying to protect the property over the past four days — but Lunt’s bigger concern was the very real possibility that the home she has owned for about 26 years could tumble into the sea.

"When the swell came, it hit off the Rocky Point shelf and turned toward us, making this sort of a cove," Lunt said. "It happened so quickly. In a few hours it washed everything away."

At the vacation home next door, Australian visitor Mark Johnston packed his belongings into the trunk of his rental car, preparing to move to another rental farther up the coast.

A couple of days earlier, the veranda and porch in the back of the property were lost when the lawn fell away, Johnston said.

Johnston had spent the last few days of his vacation helping the homeowner and other area residents.

"It’s been a big effort," he said. "Even strangers have come by to help out. People walking by on the beach have offered to help. But there are restrictions to what we can do because the situation is very dangerous. It’s one thing to lose property, but nobody wants anyone to get hurt by all the debris moving around down there."

Amid all the work, neighbors expressed frustration that government agencies have not stepped in to help. Personnel from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and fire department had surveyed the area, and the department issued a warning about hazardous conditions in the area. But as of late Sunday afternoon, residents were still relying on their own funds and the good will of neighbors and friends to deal with the situation.

"It seems to me that (government agencies) could have mobilized to provide more help," said former state Rep. Gil Riviere, who drove in with his children Jake and Janine to help fill sandbags. "This may not be an islandwide disaster, but it is definitely a disaster to those who are affected."

Coastal erosion has been a persistent problem during the fall for that stretch of beach.

In mid-October, a state team met with residents, talked to lifeguards and examined the eroded stretch of beach at Ke Nui Road.