POIPU — The walk down from Hoona Road to Lawai Road on Kauai changed dramatically over the course of three days.
Early Monday, a row of beautiful oceanfront houses neatly placed side by side shared a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
By Tuesday, it was a scene of pure destruction. Hurricane Lowell had pushed one home into the middle of the street, peeled off another’s roof and taken out the walls and appliances of several.
On Wednesday, cleanup crews and volunteers were hard at work, using large excavators to demolish what was left of destroyed homes and lift debris – surfboards, bikes and even a grand piano – into piles and trailers to be taken away.
Aaron Hoff, founder of the Keala Foundation, said it was a no-brainer for him to help clean up the street.
“I know what it’s like to have volunteers help you,” he said. “It’s not every day you get to tear down a house.”
His foundation focuses on prevention and early intervention of substance abuse for kids. He said he remembers youth substance use increasing following 1992’s Hurricane Iniki – himself included. Now, 28 years sober, he hopes to prevent the same cycle after Lowell.
Cami Ritner-Yost was watching the cleanup from her sister-in-law’s balcony. Her house is directly behind her sister-in-law’s, she said, and around 10 p.m. she heard a loud crash.
“My husband ran downstairs. I ran down after him. I look over and there’s this big giant side of that house. I’m like, ‘Oh my god! What’s it doing in our driveway?’ And then I’m like, ‘Wait a second, where’s my car?’” she said of the home that was lifted off its foundation. “The house just punted it right over into our neighbor’s house.”
She said at one point the surf was as tall as her sister’s two-story house. While it was frightening, she said, she considers herself lucky. Her family lost two cars and sustained just minor cosmetic damage to their homes.
New to living on the island – she and her husband moved in November – she said she was amazed by how kind her neighbors have been. “People I don’t even know are like, ‘Hey can we help, what can we do for you?” she said.
Just past Prince Kuhio Park on Lawai Road, dozens of oceanfront condos were completely demolished. Sara and Kaipo Pavao were working diligently with their sons to clear out the mud, rocks and broken furniture.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad,” she said. “Nobody was.”
They had until Friday to get everything out before an insurance assessor comes to inspect the unit. It’s their short-term rental property, and luckily there were no guests staying in it Monday night. Kaipo Pavao was directing the cleanup, ensuring photos were being taken of everything and that his sons placed floor planks neatly in the trailer.
Farther up Lawai Road, The Beach House – one of Poipu’s most iconic restaurants – remained standing. There was a stray coral head outside one of several broken glass windows, and inside there were flipped tables, ocean rocks and branches.
It’s the third time the restaurant had been hit by a hurricane, chef Marshall Blanchard told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, but it’s the first time the structure survived.
Hurricane Iwa demolished the restaurant in 1982, and it was rebuilt farther back from the coastline. Then, 10 years later, Hurricane Iniki flattened the restaurant again and it was again moved back.
With the restaurant’s third structure made with more hardened materials, Blanchard thinks it’s possible to be back in operation by Christmas, pending any issues with the supply chain for windows and other fixtures.
“You never know the timing of getting things done,” he said. “It’s so up in the air. It’s hard to tell all these people how long it’s going to be.”
In the meantime, Blanchard said the management team is helping feed its 170 staff and providing them with internet access via Starlink as they assess the damage inside. The restaurant had just stocked up on extra food in case Lowell didn’t hit so that they would have enough to feed the Labor Day crowd. He’s hopeful the staff will fare well on unemployment and be able to return once the business is ready.
Nearby at the Lawai Beach Resort, crews were removing asphalt that was lifted by storm surge and moved onto the sidewalk like carpet.
On Tuesday, Mindy Hibbitt watched as her son used an excavator to tow her food shack, Riptides Shave Ice & Snacks, out of the resort’s lagoon.
The shack had been in front of the resort for at least 25 years, she said, with several different owners over the decades. Hibbitt bought it during COVID-19, and it was her baby ever since.
“It’s wonderful. It’s a seven-day-a-week job. We’re open every single day and we’ve really serviced the community,” she said. “We’re the only food truck down here. We are so blessed.”
She revamped the menu to make it gluten-free and added unique homemade syrups and organic food. It’s a women-owned business with women employees, which Hibbitt is very proud of.
“My crew is like some of the most incredible people on the planet,” she said. “They make it happen with me.”
She found out the shack was stuck in the lagoon when her son called her at 6:30 a.m. telling her it was gone. The family had tied down hurricane straps and boarded up the windows, but it wasn’t enough.
As her son finally hoisted the tiny shack out of the lagoon, cheers rang out from Hibbitt’s family and friends as well as curious bystanders. A new mural with an octopus holding rainbow shave ice had some mud streaks smeared across it, but remained bright.
Her jaw dropped as she opened the top of the French door for the first time. The shack was full of water, her two fridges lifted and tilted back, and mud covered utensils and serving trays; but neatly organized on the top shelf, syrups organized in alphabetical order alongside oat and almond milk remained untouched.
“She’s totaled. She’s not usable anymore.” Hibbitt said. She had just spent $10,000 to upgrade the electric system this summer. “I did the mural, the seating area, the electric. I put all this love into it, just because she needs it. And we rocked it all summer.”
Hibbit said she was shocked to see the extent of the damage on Kauai’s south shore.
“Our backyard, our community is devastated. The restaurant’s devastated, and the condos are devastated, and there’s just so much damage,” she said. “This whole island, it’s like it took a beating. It’s just so surreal.”
The destruction did come with one silver lining: Hibbitt had no idea how loved the shack was until her Instagram and text messages became flooded with support.
“I know people love Riptides, but I didn’t really realize the extent of it,” she said. “I feel love on any given day, this is next level.”
Hibbitt’s friend set up a GoFundMe to help Hibbitt rebuild the business. Hibbitt plans to rebuild the structure from the ground up, replace all the equipment and restock inventory. To donate, visit gofund.me/2971d1a14. As of Wednesday night, over $9,000 has been collected.
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