Hawaii County, HI Parks & Recreation
Home MenuNāʻālehu Cemetery Recovery
On August 15, 2026, Hurricane Lala caused unprecedented flooding in Pāhala, Waiʻōhinu and Nāʻālehu. Tragically, the Nāʻālehu Cemetery was heavily damaged as the floodwaters unearthed and washed away burials.
Since then, a multi-agency effort has been underway to recover and protect burials displaced by Hurricane Lala. Under the leadership of the County of Hawaiʻi Civil Defense Agency, a team of specialists including cultural practitioners, archaeologists, forensic anthropologists, osteologists, and a special response team from the Hawaiʻi National Guard have been engaged in the recovery effort.
The goal is to ensure the proper, respectful, and compassionate collection, storage, and identification of burial remains, headstones and other items, and to ensure return and reinterment is done in accordance with families’ wishes.
An important component of the cemetery recovery effort is to connect with families and gather information about their loved ones. If you have family members who were buried at Nāʻālehu Cemetery, and you have questions or information to share, please contact the County of Hawai'i if you have not already.
- Use the Google form to share your contact information and information about burials: www.bit.ly/naalehucemetery
- Send photos with family member's name and plot information to cemetery@hawaiicounty.gov.
- Contact the Department of Parks and Recreation at 808-961-8311 Ext. 1 or cemetery@hawaiicounty.gov.
Residents and businesses clearing flood debris should work with care and be alert for evidence of human elements and funerary items. If possible, retain debris on part of your property until it can be evaluated. If you find suspected human elements, do not further disturb them. Contact Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense at (808) 935-0031.
If you wish to remove debris from your property in the area where the recovery effort is occurring, you may transport it to a designated site off Kamaoa Road in Waiʻōhinu so that it can be evaluated later.
Cemetery Storm Damage Map
Notes:
1. Background image taken from County of Hawai'i's (COH) EagleView program. Image is dated March 3, 2022.
2. Section A still image provided by COH-DPW. Image was taken August 19, 2026 following flood damage from
Hurricane Lala.
3. Cemetery records pulled from COH-DPR's cemetery data book and administrative database. Accuracy is not
guaranteed.
4. Information presented in Section A map is derived from COH-DPR field reconnaissance work performed August 19 & 20, 2026.
5. The County of Hawai'i does not guarantee the accuracy of any information provided herein. This is a working document, the purpose of which is to assist in determining extents of potential disturbed cemetery plots.
6. Document prepared August 21, 2026