Mahalo to Mānoa ‘Storm Closet’ for Quick Action to Meet Neighbors’ Needs

On March 24, Cathy Callejo of BE READY MANOA opened her home on Anuenue Street as a "Storm Closet" point-of-distribution for food, water, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, clothing, and other essentials donated by Mānoa organizations, businesses, and residents.

This spontaneous effort demonstrated the power of aloha spirit, with community members organizing immediately across religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds. Within days, all shared goods were distributed with Aloha through pickups and deliveries.

From March 26 through 29, BE READY MANOA and VIBE CHURCH volunteers provided immediate assistance to storm-impacted neighbors, cleaning flood-damaged homes, hauling bulk items, and taking debris to the dump. Mahalo nui loa to all volunteers and neighbors who rallied in support of their community after the storms!

During March and April, Mānoa residents faced 'Kona low' weather that brought gusty winds, power outages, and flooding along Woodlawn Drive, Noelani Elementary cafeteria, and Hokulani Elementary School's campus.

Who would have thought that roughly two trillion gallons of rain could inundate the community so rapidly?

According to the March 31, 2026 issue of UH News, more than 2 trillion gallons of water flooded Hawaiʻi in March, enough to fill 3 million Olympic-sized swimming pools. Accumulated rainfall over 14 days reached as high as 3,000% of normal historical levels, culminating in a destructive "rain bomb" over O'ahu. Through the University of Hawaiʻi's Hawaii Mesonet and the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal, researchers captured the scale of these back-to-back Kona low systems, mapping localized threats and providing crucial flood data.

As the two-week rainy period neared its end, an intense atmospheric event struck Mānoa and Palolo valleys on March 23. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi described it as a "classic rain bomb" caused by a stationary storm cell dropping 2 to 4 inches of rain per hour. Six Mesonet stations in the Nuʻuanu-Mānoa area recorded between 3.5 and 6.5 inches, most falling within three hours. On already saturated ground, this turned streams into torrents and triggered significant flash floods.