Widely regarded as a tropical paradise, Hawaii was anything but from March 20–22 as two Kona low-pressure systems unleashed heavy rain and strong winds, causing widespread destruction and at least one reported fatality.
The hardest-hit areas included Oahu’s North Shore and southeast Maui, which were struck by as much as 46 inches of rain in areas triggering floods, landslides, and widespread destruction. An estimated $1 billion in damage to homes, businesses, and farms has been reported, with hundreds of structures torn off their foundations, roads destroyed, vehicles swept away, and residents left homeless. Surviving structures in impacted areas are not only flooded but also coated with mud.
Among the islands’ many Catholic facilities, varying degrees of damage have been reported and relief efforts are underway. Among those taking a leading role are Catholic organizations, including EPIC Ministry, the Knights of Columbus, and Catholic Charities Hawaii — as well as many Catholic parishes.
The hall of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Mission on the North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, after devastating storms hit the island in late March 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Mission
Father Romple Emwalu is pastor of St. Michael Church in Waialua and serves a parish mission, Sts. Peter and Paul Mission near Waimea Bay, located eight miles away. Both are located on Oahu’s North Shore, popular for its surfing, and were the hardest-hit Hawaii Catholic churches in the storms.
Emwalu recalled that for three days “it was windy and rained continuously.” While St. Michael’s is located on a hillside and did not suffer significant flooding, many homes just below it were severely damaged and one washed away. The surrounding streets were also flooded, as was the parish parking lot and parish school lawn. The Sts. Peter and Paul Mission church also escaped serious damage, but the halls and offices around it were flooded.
As the storms subsided, St. Michael’s became a hub for a variety of relief organizations. Food and clean water were distributed, and volunteers arrived to begin the process of clearing debris and cleaning homes.
“Many of the homes of our parishioners were unlivable, with as much as 4 feet of water inside,” Emwalu told EWTN News.
Mud cakes the floors in the hall of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Mission on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, after devastating storms in March 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Mission
Among the Catholic groups that mobilized to help was EPIC Ministry, a lay association of the faithful. While its main purpose, according to its president Dallas Carter, is “to help young adults encounter Christ,” a second focus is to help those in need, including helping those in emergency situations.
In the 2023 fire that killed 102 and wiped out the Maui town of Lahaina, for example, EPIC sent 300 volunteers and raised $500,000 to help victims.
Carter lives on Oahu and directly participated in helping North Shore victims. He noted that as the water receded, homes were filled with mud that destroyed residents’ possessions, including carpets, furniture, appliances, and clothing. Many of these homes are uninhabitable, he said, “and people are living out of suitcases.”
EPIC Ministry volunteers clean the homes of North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, residents affected by devastating storms in late March 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Dallas Carter of EPIC Ministry
St. Michael’s has offered temporary shelter to the displaced, Emwalu explained, while others have gone to live with relatives elsewhere in the islands or to homeless shelters.
Besides housing, the priest said, transportation is difficult as well due to flooded roads and cars covered in water after the storms.
Yet there is plenty of reason to hope, Emwalu said, as many have stepped up to volunteer to help victims and donations have poured in.
“Tragedies like this can really bring out the best in people,” Emwalu said. “It’s wonderful to see people working together to help one another.”
Damage to the roads around St. Theresa Parish, Kihei, Maui, after torrential rains and winds pummeled the island in March 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Karen Powers
Another particularly hard-hit region of the island was the Kihei area of Maui. Pastor of Kihei’s St. Theresa Parish, Father William Kunisch, told EWTN News: “I’ve lived in Hawaii for 35 years, and it’s the worst storm I’ve ever seen. The rain was torrential.”
The parish church flooded, and portions of its parking lot were underwater for a week. The community around the parish was devastated, with roads washed out, telephone poles overturned, power outages widespread, and homes destroyed.
“We had parishioners whose homes were up to their waists in water,” Kunisch said. He joined other religious leaders at a local Red Cross relief site to offer spiritual support to victims.
“People were traumatized. They were in disbelief, confused and overwhelmed,” he recalled.
Referencing the Lahaina fire, the priest said: “People are bearing a lot.”
Damage to the roads around St. Theresa Parish, Kihei, Maui, March 23, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Karen Powers
Karen Powers, director of faith formation at St. Theresa, said the Kona storms reminded her of the flash floods she experienced when she had previously lived in Arizona.
“I had seen that before and how devastating it can be; many people living in Kihei haven’t,” she said, noting the difficulties with transportation, as portions of the main shoreline road South Kihei were lost to sinkholes, and vehicles parked on roadways were swept away.
Area businesses were also heavily impacted, and according to Powers “employees were afraid to drive their vehicles on the road, concerned the water would push them into the ocean.”
Monsignor Terry Watanabe, vicar for Maui and pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Wailuku, was born and reared in Maui and has spent much of his life there. He, too, noted: “It was the worst rainfall I’ve ever seen; we had 1 to 2 inches come down an hour. The wind was strong, too. It was very unusual.”
While the damage to St. Anthony’s was minimal, there were catastrophic losses within his parish boundaries. These include the storm’s first reported death — a 71-year-old woman who fell into the Wailuku River and was swept out to sea. Friends of a parishioner who built a home in the same area a few years before also saw the structure swept out to sea.
Watanabe also noted that the region was heavily dependent upon the tourist industry and that visitors were either canceling trips due to the rain or leaving early. He said: “I had friends from Kentucky who came for a visit leave 10 days early because of the rain.”
A truck carries away the soiled, muddy items homeowners are throwing away after torrential rains and winds destroyed homes and structures across Hawaii in March 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Dallas Carter of EPIC Ministry
Father Kuriakose Nadooparambil, MF, pastor of Maria Lanakila Church in Lahaina, miraculously untouched by the 2023 fire while structures around it were destroyed, expressed his gratitude that flooding in Lahaina was minimal.
“We are blessed. The good Lord continues to protect us,” Nadooparambil said.
St. Michael Parish has set up a relief fund to assist flood victims. EPIC Ministry also welcomes donations for its flood relief work.
