South Maui gulches overflowed with mud and debris, presenter tells council

Vernon Kalani Kau told the Disaster Recovery, International Affairs and Planning Committee that repeated storm events have overwhelmed South Kihei's gulches, roads and parks and that some sites are returning to pre‑removal levels of settlement within months.

“Approximately 120,000 cubic yards was removed at that time… What came back down from the Kona Low Number 1, approximately 80,000 to 90,000 cubic yards came back down,” Kalani Kau said as he walked the committee through drone photos of Keaukehaua Gulch, Waipuilani and the Kalepolepo Park shoreline. He described multiple private properties, the Whale Sanctuary access and sections of North Kihei Road that were flooded or buried in mud and debris.

Kalani Kau argued that many developments sit on former wetlands or in flood‑prone corridors and that channelization and narrowed gulches accelerate erosive flows. He urged the committee to treat sand, pohaku and sediment as local resources and to consult native Hawaiian organizations and OEV Resources before moving material between moku. County staff and the committee agreed that the presentation was compelling and designated CPAC resources as committee advisors for South Maui issues.

The presentation provided visual context for later policy discussion on managed retreat, gulch buffers, and emergency procedures for staging displaced materials.