Hawaiʻi National Guard Supports Nāʻālehu Cemetery Reclamation Following Hurricane Lala

Hurricane Lala brought heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds to Hawaiʻi Island in August 2026, impacting communities across the island and triggering rescues and widespread response efforts. In the Kaʻū District, floodwaters inundated roads and low-lying areas, damaged property and infrastructure, and caused landslides and debris flows.\

Among the storm's impacts was significant damage to Nāʻālehu Cemetery, where floodwaters disturbed burial sites and carried human remains and other cemetery materials beyond the cemetery grounds.

In the storm’s aftermath, the Hawaiʻi National Guard joined Hawaiʻi County, cultural practitioners and subject-matter experts in a coordinated effort to document, recover and protect the displaced burials.

“The discovery of burials within the flood area was heartbreaking for the Nāʻālehu community, and their pain is shared by our entire island,” said Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda. “We want to assure the community that every step of this recovery process is being carried out with compassion, care and respect for the deceased and their descendants.”

The documentation efforts as of Sept. 1, 2026, have identified over 140 remains in the Nāʻālehu area and the multi-agency effort is still finding more remains in its second month of work.

For members of the Hawaiʻi National Guard’s 93rd Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Enhanced Response Force Package (93rd CERF-P), the mission required more than specialized search and recovery skills. It required patience, coordination and respect for a site that holds deep cultural and personal significance for the Nāʻālehu community.

Chief Master Sgt. Hyurn Chu, a member of the 154th Force Support Squadron and the 93rd CERF-P’s fatality search and recovery team, recalled the conditions when the team first arrived.

“We saw all the landslides from the top of the cemetery and down to the main road,” Chu said. “We knew already that there are going to be a lot of uneven spaces, a lot of rubble piles, and knowing that most of the debris came from the cemetery, that there's possible remains underneath all the rubble.”

Before beginning recovery operations, the Guard coordinated with community members and local responders to ensure the work was conducted appropriately and that access to sensitive areas was authorized.

“We want to make sure that we give proper respects and we're not damaging anything that's respected by the community,” Chu said.

The recovery effort brought together a range of expertise, including cultural practitioners, archaeologists, forensic anthropologists and osteologists, with guidance and support from the Maui Department of ʻŌiwi Resources and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Health.

The 93rd CERF-P’s training prepared its members to safely navigate unstable debris while carefully processing and recovering remains.

“Learning the skill sets of properly processing remains, being very respectful, knowing that they are part of our loved ones, and knowing that we want to make sure that we take care of others like how we want to be taken cared of,” Chu said.

Cultural practices were incorporated throughout the operation. Before work began, participating agencies gathered for an opening ceremony and blessing in recognition of the sacred nature of the site.

When remains were recovered, Hawaiian cultural practitioners were given the opportunity to conduct appropriate practices and pay their respects before the remains were removed and transported. At the end of operations, the team conducted a closing ceremony.

For Chu, the process demonstrated the importance of bringing different agencies and communities together during a disaster.

“Even though we may not all have the same spiritual mindset, we all can come together and understand that we want to make sure that we help each other,” Chu said.

The area around the displaced burials was protected from debris removal while the recovery effort is underway.

The effort reflects a broader reality of disaster response in Hawaiʻi, where recovery can involve not only restoring roads and infrastructure, but also protecting cultural sites and helping families recover what was lost.

For the Hawaiʻi National Guard, the mission at Nāʻālehu Cemetery provided an opportunity to apply specialized capabilities in support of local authorities while honoring the people and traditions connected to the site.

“We want to make sure that we're giving proper closure here and to the loved ones,” Chu said.

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