Sam Knepper, the stewardship coordinator for St. Catherine Parish in Kapaa, stands at the door of St. William Mission food pantry in Hanalei June 16. (HCH photo by Anna Weaver)
By Anna Weaver
Hawaii Catholic Herald
It’s been more than two months since 50 inches of rain fell on Kauai’s North Shore between April 14 and 15, overflowing the Hanalei River and causing extensive water and mud damage.
The mission church, awaiting repairs, has become a temporary storage center for clothing and other relief items for Kauai’s flood victims.
(HCH photo by Anna Weaver)
St. William Mission Church in Hanalei had 14 inches of water in its church sanctuary. Pews, carpet, dry wall, sound equipment, and other items need to be replaced as a result. Its normal 9 a.m. Mass has been moved to St. Sylvester Mission in Kilauea until renovations can be funded and completed, hopefully by this fall.
However, the church, which is a mission of St. Catherine in Kapaa, could be used as a relief site after the initial cleanup inside was done. Donations like clothes, shoes, toys and other items were dropped off and distributed there until mid-June.
The church hall, which is raised above ground and didn’t have flood damage, was also the temporary quarters for Team Rubicon, a veteran’s disaster relief organization.
The St. William Friday morning food bank continued to operate out of the hall after the flood. Different faces showed up post-flood, said Sam Knepper, the stewardship coordinator for St. Catherine Parish in Kapaa. He assumed that’s because there were people needing more support.
At the same time, some food pantry patrons who live along the closed portion of the North Shore highway between Waikoko and Wainiha, haven’t been able to get to St. William.
The Hawaii Foodbank recently purchased a mobile food trailer that Kaepper will use to bring food out to those still marooned along that section of the road.
Correction: Sam Knepper’s name was originally misspelled in the print edition.
