Boulders threaten Residents of 26 units in a Hawaii Kai condominium project were advised yesterday to immediately evacuate because of the danger that massive boulders could smash into their homes.
residents at Lalea
People living in 26 units have been
advised to evacuate because of the dangerBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comSome of the boulders clinging to the ridge above the Lalea subdivision are "10 to 20 times" larger than the roughly five-ton rock that crushed two cars in the same complex on Thanksgiving, said Neil Hannahs, director of land assets at Kamehameha Schools.
Castle & Cooke Hawaii, which developed the Lalea subdivision, and Kamehameha Schools, which owns the ridge above the development, have reserved 20 rooms at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for families who are displaced.
Castle and Cooke President Harry Saunders said company officials just learned the severity of the situation yesterday morning and called a meeting last night to inform residents.
"Our first thought was we can't have someone sleep in a building that we wouldn't personally feel safe in," Saunders said. "We wanted to get the information to them."
Company and estate officials said the evacuation is voluntary and would be temporary; however, they are not sure how long it will last.
Long-term accommodations may include providing displaced residents with townhomes in Hawaii Kai so that they can return to a more "normal lifestyle," Saunders said.
"We've also provided security for their buildings while they are out of their homes so that they would feel secure that people wouldn't be breaking in because they knew they were vacant," said Saunders.
After officials briefed Lalea residents last night, 10 families immediately took Castle & Cooke and Kamehameha Schools up on their offer.
Resident Rose Sorensen said she and her husband would accept the offer "just for safety reasons. We just want to play it safe."
The recommendation came after engineers discovered three boulders that are much bigger than the one that crashed into the cars on Nov. 28 and that are in danger of falling, according to Hannahs.
"The rocks lack a really good foundation," Hannahs said. "If the fissure cracks then there's nothing really to stop them from falling down.
He said engineers spotted about five other boulders in danger of falling that are of equal size to the large rocks that fell last month.
Sione Galvez, owner of the cars that were damaged, said he and his wife, Tracy, are going to stay.
"I know it sounds kind of ridiculous, but we have two dogs and they mean a lot to my wife and I," he said while noting that he "probably won't sleep all right tonight. Maybe after a couple of beers."
He said the Castle and Kamehameha officials showed residents photos of the precarious boulders on the ridge above their homes, and "one rock is right above my unit."
Resident Jennifer Fu, who said she would probably stay with family members in Hawaii Kai, said, "It's kind of scary. I'm just going to go back home and grab some clothes then I'm leaving."
The evacuation recommendation was for buildings 7130 and 7168, both with 13 units, in the 27-building complex.
Hannahs said he hopes to have answers next week on how to deal with the boulders.
"Safety is the only issue of importance at this time," said Saunders. "And we have developed a temporary relocation plan for the affected Lalea residents of the two buildings so they are not exposed to this potential danger.
"Once we have ensured our residents' safety, we will work with Kamehameha Schools to eliminate the potential danger posed by the boulders and other potential hazards that are identified," he said.
The cost of putting up the families will be shared by Castle and Kamehameha. Saunders said they were lucky to be able to reserve the 20 rooms since tomorrow's Honolulu Marathon has packed Waikiki hotels.
On Aug. 9, a boulder crashed into a Nuuanu home, killing 26-year-old Dara Rei Onishi as she slept.
The state Department of Transportation also has been working on shoring up the ridge at Makapuu after rockslides sent boulders and debris onto Kalanianaole Highway.
Kamehameha Schools
Castle & Cooke Hawaii
