A year ago, Kauai was hit with a sudden blast of torrential rains. Up to 50 inches drenched its rural north shore communities in a period of 16 hours, setting a national record for a day’s rainfall and touching off massive flooding and landslides.

More than 350 homes were destroyed or damaged and a series of landslides forced closure of a stretch of Kuhio Highway, cutting off Lumahai, Wainiha and Haena communities. It’s heartening that their hardship has been eased by homespun support that prompted the opening of a food bank as well as community dinner gatherings and other neighborly efforts.

What’s more, the heavy lift to recovery has been lightened by a break from what some rightly label as over-tourism. Now, as the state preps to reopen 2 miles of highway in May, after yearlong closure, area residents, along with county and state leaders, should take assertive steps to prevent a quick return of too much visitor traffic.

Front-and-center among tourism magnets are Haena State Park and adjacent Napali Coast State Wilderness Park. Haena’s Kee Beach, a picturesque go-to for picnickers, is near a popular trailhead for hiking trails hugging the coastline’s dramatic cliffs. In the absence of more restrictive access, these parks are at risk of being loved to death.

In recent years, preceding the storm, the Haena park saw upwards of 700,000 visitors annually, with motorists rapidly filling up allotted parking spaces on most days. Those left without a space routinely resorted to illegal parking along the narrow highway, clogging it to the point that emergency vehicles would be unable to pass.

Several years in the making, the Haena State Park Master Plan is slated to be implemented when the parks reopen, by mid-June. If effectively enforced, the plan, which includes visitor limits and reduced near-site parking, will serve as a much-needed step to better safeguarding these end-of-the-road gems and their ecological and cultural resources.

On the residential side, although the north shore’s economy is tourism-dependent, many want to see its inventory of illegal vacation rentals eliminated, as they often alter neighborhood character and dodge tax levies. The master plan could help reduce the demand for such rentals. However, stronger county and state regulations are needed to make lasting progress.

Key to the park master plan is a new advance reservation system, along with a new county-supported shuttle system, which will be employed to limit daily access to Haena to 900 visitors. Previously, the average count has been estimated at 2,000. These changes and others add up to the State Parks Division gaining control of a scene that has long been chaotic and unsafe.

Among those interviewed by Star-Advertiser reporter Allison Schaefers for a recent three-day series about Kauai’s ongoing recovery, was Joel Guy, president of the Hanalei-Haena Community Association. He correctly pointed out that the pause on tourism presents a rare chance to truly reset a range of expectations for visitors and residents.

“It’s much easier to go from zero tourists a day to 900 a day” than to swiftly chop in half the flow of traffic, Guy said, adding, “Hopefully, we can be a model for other places. But we need to do this right.” To do right by the land and waters, the state should also consider seizing this fresh start to put in place a weekly closure day at the Haena park.

Area residents say that in the absence of regular foot traffic, they’ve seen evidence of a healthier reef edging Kee Beach. On Oahu, Hanauma Bay State Park, which was once overwhelmed by visitors, is closed every Tuesday to give marine life a day of undisturbed rest. Kauai’s north shore — and other popular coastline areas across the state — could benefit from the same balanced protection.