Nolo Grows to a Category 4, Kaua'i's Wealthiest Step Up, and Mālama Kaua'i's Call to Keep Going

KIUC restored power to Wainiha and Ha'ena five days ago, a milestone worth savoring, though Koke'e will take several more weeks. The Department of Water has lifted its conservation notice for Ha'ena and Wainiha, and the Wailua Golf Course has reopened its front nine. Meanwhile, Hurricane Nolo jumped from Category 2 to a major Category 4 hurricane over the weekend, now about 400 miles south-southwest of Honolulu and tracking toward the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, well clear of Kaua'i. No watches are in effect for our island, but dangerous surf is expected from Nolo's swells. Two deadlines this week: real property tax exemption applications are due Wednesday, September 30, with no extensions, and Kaua'i Bus fares are waived through the same date.

Quick reminder: Hawai'i Foodbank Kaua'i has two emergency distributions coming up where you can get help or volunteer to lend a hand: Tuesday, Sept. 29 at Anahola Clubhouse, 4 to 6 p.m., and Thursday, Oct. 1 at Westside Christian Center (10 a.m. to noon) and 'Aina Ho'okupu O Kīlauea (3 to 5 p.m.).

Some of Kaua'i's most well-known neighbors are putting real money behind the recovery. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan donated $2.3 million to the Hawai'i Community Foundation's Kaua'i Strong Fund after Lowell, on top of direct grassroots donations, and their Chan Zuckerberg Kaua'i Community Fund has committed more than $100 million to over 100 local organizations since 2016. Marc and Lynne Benioff donated $1 million to the Stronger Hawai'i fund after Hurricane Lala and $250,000 via DonorsChoose for storm-affected teachers, plus new fire department equipment. This kind of major giving is filling part of the gap while Lowell's federal Major Disaster Declaration, requested September 9, remains pending. And gifts of any size to our club's own Disaster Relief Fund help too.

Mālama Kaua'i's "2.5 week update" urged the community not to lose momentum as media attention fades and off-island crews head home. As they put it, "for many, life is returning to normal, for them, it's not." More than 100 local families still lack safe, long-term housing, and community members have been asking Wainiha and Ha'ena vacation rental owners to open up to the 50 to 75 North Shore residents who need a place to stay. Mālama Kaua'i is also asking people to support local businesses through kama'āina specials, fundraiser nights, and volunteer workdays. Tourism has been hard hit: the Musubi Truck laid off 25 employees, and Kaua'i Juice Co. has seen sales drop 85 percent. It's a reminder our kupuna check-in volunteers know well: recovery is measured in neighbors, not headlines. If you can open a rental, show up to a workday, or give to the club's Disaster Relief Fund, that's Service Above Self doing its quiet work. And if you know a kupuna who could use a check-in, reach out to Mark Wolfendale, our Disaster Relief program contact, who has been coordinating the club's kupuna check-ins on the North Shore since the first days after the storm.

Team Rubicon, the veteran-led group that's been leading debris removal, tree clearing, and roof tarping across the island, wrapped up its deployment this week, and no replacement national team is currently scheduled. VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) says it's tracking more than 500 open cleanup requests, with new ones arriving daily.

"Local residents have been making a lot of personal sacrifices," said Mālama Kaua'i volunteer Laurie Roberts, "but they can't sustain this level." Because Kaua'i is only reachable by air or sea, getting outside volunteer teams, faith networks, unions, and contractors here matters more than usual.

It's local volunteers like our own club president, Mark Wolfendale, who are filling the gap in the meantime. He's pictured below delivering food to kupuna at a Princeville condo, exactly the kind of check-in work he's been coordinating on the North Shore since the first days after the storm.