Last year was a disastrous year for Hawaii — at least in terms of natural disasters.

The flooding, lava and storms that hammered the islands over a six-month period from April to September damaged or destroyed more than 1,750 homes and disrupted the lives and livelihoods of untold thousands of residents. The mayhem earned Hawaii five federal emergency and major disaster declarations last year, more than in any other time in at least 20 years.

“2018 was definitely a historic year for disasters in Hawaii, and they happened on all islands,” said Coralie Chun Matayoshi, CEO of the American Red Cross’ Pacific Islands Region, which had a hand in relief efforts for nearly every one of them.

“It started with the historic April floods on Oahu and Kauai and the 4-1/2 month response to the Kilauea Volcano lava flow taking place concurrently with Hurricane Lane and Tropical Storm Olivia. It felt nonstop because we had to prepare for every one of them. It seemed like we were calling down volunteers and pre-positioning supplies every weekend,” she said.

“We didn’t think it would stop.”

With April’s devastating flash-flooding in East Oahu and on Kauai, and the unusual circumstances of having two Category 5 hurricanes — Lane and Walaka — churn through the Central Pacific near Hawaii, “it was a pretty big year for us,” said Hirokazu Toiya, acting director of Honolulu’s Department of Emergency Management.

It was also unusual for his department to send reinforcements to disaster-stricken neighbor islands, according to Toiya. “It was overwhelming in terms of the impacts and duration,” he said.

As 2019 arrived, many residents were continuing to struggle with the loss of their homes, businesses, farms and income and their sense of safety and well-being. Estimates of damage, repair and rebuilding costs to public and private properties and the relief assistance provided were still being tallied.

April rains bring devastation

Hawaii’s wet season usually winds down in April, with fewer storms and declining rainfall totals.

Not in 2018.

Torrential downpours from late April 13 through April 15 caused substantial damage on Kauai and Oahu, with at least 786 properties affected to some extent by the flooding.

Oahu was hit the evening of April 13 with intense, localized rainfall over a two-hour period. Wide currents of runoff ripped through Aina Haina to Hawaii Kai and Waimanalo. At least 410 properties were impacted, with 104 suffering major damage.

“It was a surprise to us. We have seen flooding in East Oahu but it’s been a little while,” Toiya said. “It’s hard to plan for anything on that level. It’s just something where Mother Nature is unpredictable and we just have to be ready.”

Over the next two days, the northern side of Kauai was battered by thunderstorms and a series of epic rainfalls over the lower elevations and coastal sections. A dozen landslides shut down Kuhio Highway, cutting off residents of Wainiha and Haena, and flash flooding at Hanalei Stream put Hanalei bridge under as much as 5 to 8 feet of water.

A gauge at Waipa about a mile west of Hanalei recorded 49.69 inches of rain during a 24-hour period ending at 12:45 p.m. April 15. If certified, it will break the previous 24-hour rainfall record of 43 inches set in Alvin, Texas, in 1979.

Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said April’s flooding “was of a degree of magnitude that many residents, especially newer residents, have never seen.” While the displaced need continued support, Kawakami said restoring Kuhio Highway remains a priority.

“We’re very much still in recovery mode with significant work to be done to create safe travel through that corridor,” he said.

Kawakami said last year’s repeated flooding of Hanalei River also demonstrated the need to rethink storm repairs, especially as changing climate conditions promise more frequent events. The mayor said he favors new approaches to flood mitigation measures rather than just restoring infrastructure to pre-disaster levels that are likely to fail again.

Lava changes landscape

The aftermath of the April flooding was still making headlines when a different kind of destructive power emerged from underground on the Big Island.

Even Harry Kim, the mayor of Hawaii County and former civil defense chief who has presided over decades of disaster relief efforts, called the Kilauea eruption that started May 3 and eventually destroyed 716 homes and covered nearly 14 square miles an “unprecedented” event.

“There simply is no comparison,” said Kim, who has asked the state for as much as $854 million in support through 2023. “With the amount of acreage covered, it’s not like any other emergency. The landscape is forever changed.

“The realization of the full impact is something that we have just begun and we’ll have to work with everyone — the federal government, the state government — because without them we have no real hope of going forward. The county government just doesn’t have those resources.”

The eruption also was unprecedented for the American Red Cross and Hawaii National Guard, which deployed approximately 700 soldiers and airmen to staff security checkpoints, monitor volcanic gas emissions, build emergency housing and perform other duties.

“In my over 34 years of service with the Hawaii National Guard, 2018 by far ended up as the busiest and most challenging year,” said Brig. Gen. Kenneth Hara in an email. “The Kilauea lava support mission was the longest state active-duty mission that the Hawaii National Guard has ever been on. Usually disasters occur and we respond, then it is followed by a recovery phase. This event did not leave the response phase for about three months.”

For its part, the Red Cross ran shelters for as many as 500 lava evacuees over 138 days, making it the longest-running disaster shelter operation in Hawaii history, according to Matayoshi. Approximately 700 volunteers helped over the course of the eruption, including 223 from the mainland.

The need for volunteers was so great that Big Island residents who wanted to help immediately were put through an expedited registration process and given on-the-job training, Matayoshi said. More than 420 of these “event-based” volunteers were trained and the Red Cross offered shortened eight-hour shifts to accommodate those with other jobs.

Along came Lane

By August, disaster fatigue had set in across many parts of the state. Then came Hector, Lane, Miriam, Norman, Olivia and Wa­laka — six named storms over a five-week stretch in the Central Pacific hurricane season.

The worst of these was Hurricane Lane, whose agonizingly slow approach to the islands Aug. 22 to 28 disrupted airline service and left residents and visitors on edge. When it did hit, Lane dumped a record-breaking 40-plus inches of rainfall on several sites on the east side of Hawaii island, where flooding impacted over 100 homes.

As the storm worked its way down the island chain, 79 homes on Maui and 12 on Kauai were damaged.

Among the Maui losses were 22 homes consumed by a wind-whipped wildfire that raged across the hillsides above Lahaina. Burned were multimillion-dollar mansions, plantation-era houses and 13 homes in a Native Hawaiian settlement on kuleana lands.

Ke‘eaumoku Kapu, a Native Hawaiian leader whose Kauaula Valley property was threatened by the fire, said four of the families burned out of their homes have rebuilt and the other properties are coming along.

“There’s going to be a long healing process because people lost everything,” he said. “Families are recovering, rebuilding. They’re putting their lives back together.”

The tragedy united the kuleana land holders to seek further recognition from local authorities of their community’s status and perhaps even support for establishing their own firefighting crew, Kapu said.

Maui County sustained further damage when Tropical Storm Olivia made double landfall on Sept. 12. The worst flooding occurred in the Waihee River basin, Honokohau Stream and Napili, where 20 homes were destroyed or suffered major damage.

The double whammy of Lane and Olivia also set back repairs to Kuhio Highway on Kauai. The state Department of Transportation had estimated the work would be completed by October at a cost of $80 million, but now says “the completion timeline is being re-evaluated.”

No relief for relief agencies

The run of natural disasters tested relief agencies and emergency responders.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii National Guard, both under the state Department of Defense, incurred $16 million in costs for the Kauai floods, the Kilauea eruption, Hurricane Lane and Tropical Storm Olivia, according to public affairs officer Maj. Jeff Hickman.

In addition to the 700 members deployed for the eruption, about 100 responded to the Kauai flooding and 200 to Lane and Olivia.

“It was long, challenging, but if you ask any soldier or airmen who worked … on this mission, it was an honor and gratifying to support and serve our Hawaii island community,” said Hara, the brigadier general. “This real-world mission trained our leadership at all levels and will help us plan, execute and respond to future natural disasters.

“However, we are all hoping for a much quieter year in 2019!”

Within a few days of each of the major disasters, mainland teams from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up disaster relief centers that stayed open for months to provide information and process applications for assistance.

“2018 was an unusually busy year in terms of disaster response in Hawaii,” said Carol Chastang, public affairs specialist for the SBA, which so far has provided $46 million in low-interest loans and other programs for homeowners, renters and businesses.

FEMA assistance totals $12.7 million for those affected by the eruption and $4.2 million for Oahu and Kauai flood victims. Numbers for Lane and Olivia were not available.

A total of 1,286 Red Cross volunteers mustered for the April flooding, the eruption, Lane and Olivia, conducting damage assessments, helping 2,500-plus evacuees at emergency shelters and offering health and mental health services to 13,326 people.

Matayoshi said the nonprofit relief agency, which receives no government funding, was most challenged by the unpredictability of the storms and the need for additional manpower.

Other substantial support during the eruption came from the Salvation Army; World Central Kitchen, an international relief agency founded by famed chef Jose Andres; and local churches and community groups.

Flood recovery efforts on Kauai and Oahu received $64 million in federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding, with more than $56 million going to Hawaii island to help with eruption expenses.

The Big Island also received $12 million from the state, and Gov. David Ige has said he plans to release an additional $10 million to cover county costs while seeking more disaster recovery funds from the Legislature when it convenes later this month.

Star-Advertiser reporter Dan Nakaso contributed to this report.