HONOLULU (Aug. 19, 2026) — The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) today announced the successful completion of an emergency helicopter operation that delivered approximately 1,500 pounds of critical supplies to some of the most remote communities in Kaʻū on Hawaiʻi Island impacted by Hurricane Lala.
Working in close coordination with the County of Hawaiʻi, Vertical Worx Precision Aviation Services, the Three Mountain Alliance, KTA Superstores, Home Depot and Kaʻū community members, OHA helped deliver essential supplies to Native Hawaiian community representatives in four isolated areas where storm damage, damaged bridges, waterways and landslides have severely restricted access.
The emergency deliveries included drinking water, water for hygiene, fuel, perishable and nonperishable food, hygiene products, diapers, cleaning supplies, batteries and other necessities. Supplies were entrusted to Native Hawaiian representatives in the affected areas for distribution to their ʻohana and surrounding community members in need.
“This operation was about responding quickly to an immediate need and using the relationships OHA has built in our communities to reach families who might otherwise remain cut off from assistance,” said OHA Board of Trustees Chairperson and Hawaiʻi Island Trustee Kaialiʻi Kahele. “Our Kaʻū ʻohana have demonstrated tremendous resilience and resourcefulness, and OHA is honored to do our part to kōkua them during this difficult time. We are deeply grateful to every partner and community member who came together to make these deliveries possible.”
Vertical Worx, a Hawaiʻi helicopter operator specializing in remote utility and natural resource management services, had been receiving requests from Kaʻū communities for assistance delivering critical supplies to residents isolated by storm damage. After learning of OHA’s efforts to assist Native Hawaiians affected by Hurricane Lala, the company connected with OHA to coordinate relief efforts.
On Monday, OHA Hawaiʻi Island staff traveled to Kaʻū and joined Vertical Worx, which had already begun conducting independent, self-funded relief efforts. Together, they conducted reconnaissance to identify Native Hawaiian communities that were both severely impacted by the hurricane and underserved by existing relief efforts.
Four priority areas were identified: Wood Valley, Kalaʻīkī/Makanau, Lower Moaʻula and Haʻao Springs. OHA and its partners established a community point of contact and identified a safe helicopter landing area in each location, helping ensure that supplies could be delivered safely and distributed to families with the greatest need.
OHA staff also coordinated with County of Hawaiʻi leadership to develop a plan that would use Board-approved emergency resources to purchase critical supplies and secure helicopter services to reach communities inaccessible by road.
By Tuesday, OHA had mobilized its emergency resources to put that plan into action.
OHA’s Hilo staff purchased emergency supplies from KTA Super Stores and The Home Depot in Hilo and transported them to Kaʻū with assistance from the Three Mountain Alliance. OHA also secured helicopter services from Vertical Worx Precision Aviation Services.
Kapaʻala Ranch provided the use of its property as a base of operations and safe, accessible helicopter landing zone. Before deliveries began, OHA staff participated in an aerial reconnaissance flight to verify community drop locations and assess safety conditions.
Care bundles containing critical supplies were then prepared for the isolated communities. Supplies included drinking water, nonperishable food, rice, frozen produce, cooking supplies, hygiene and health care products and other necessities identified by community contacts.
Four helicopter deliveries were completed to the four priority areas, with Vertical Worx pilots and support personnel conducting the flight operations. In total, OHA and its partners delivered approximately 1,500 pounds of supplies, including 25 cases of drinking water, to isolated Kaʻū communities.
“The impact of this work goes beyond the supplies delivered today,” said Kahele. “By reaching people in these isolated areas, establishing connections and helping restore access, we are supporting community members who will, in turn, be able to help their neighbors and the broader Kaʻū community recover.”
In Wood Valley, the helicopter also transported an individual with specialized equipment capable of helping clear internal roads, an effort intended to improve access between isolated portions of the community and locations where relief supplies are being delivered.
Aerial observations during the operation revealed extensive damage to the Kaʻū landscape and infrastructure. Heavy flows of water, rock, trees and other debris carved new channels into hillsides, damaged or destroyed sections of roadway and significantly altered portions of the landscape. Some homes and properties also sustained severe damage.
Despite the devastation, community members have remained hopeful, resourceful and focused on helping one another.
OHA’s ability to respond quickly was strengthened by relationships its Hawaiʻi Island staff have developed with Native Hawaiian beneficiaries and community leaders throughout Kaʻū. Those connections helped staff identify families in remote locations, assess immediate needs, coordinate safe landing areas and place supplies directly into the hands of trusted community representatives.
“This work could not have happened without the generous and intentional collaboration of our partners,” said Kahele. “When disaster strikes, our responsibility is to listen to our communities, understand where the gaps are and act where OHA can make a meaningful difference. We mahalo everyone who rallied together to ensure our most isolated ʻohana were not forgotten.”
OHA extends its mahalo to the County of Hawaiʻi, Vertical Worx Precision Aviation Services and its flight and support crews, KTA Super Stores in Hilo and company president Toby Taniguchi, The Home Depot, the Three Mountain Alliance, Kapaʻala Ranch, Kaʻū community leaders and volunteers, and OHA’s Hawaiʻi Island staff for their collaboration and commitment to reaching families in need.
OHA continues to work with community organizations and residents on the ground to assess immediate and longer-term needs. Current concerns include fuel for generators, access to electricity and generators, drinking water and household supplies, as well as larger recovery needs as roads and infrastructure are restored.
OHA will use those assessments to determine where its resources and partnerships can have the greatest impact as Kaʻū moves from immediate emergency response toward recovery.
