Low-Income Seniors Left Stranded After Lala Floods Building Elevator

As Hurricane Lala slams remote parts of the Hawaiian Islands, its impact is still being felt closer to home.

At least one senior housing apartment complex in Honolulu is still without elevator service due to damage from flooding generated by Lala in mid-August, leaving many low-income residents struggling to complete normal daily tasks.

Kalākaua Vista is eight-stories high and designated for people aged 62 years and older whose income does not exceed 50% of the county median, currently $53,900 for a single person.

The outage has confined some senior residents, particularly those who use mobility devices like walkers, to their floors and made essential errands including shopping, laundry and attending appointments arduous or impossible.

Rain from Lala flooded the elevator pit – the space below ground level where the elevator car lands – putting it out of service on Aug. 15, Locations Hawaiʻi manager Kainoa Kuamoo said by phone.

The water level was so high it was bubbling up through the small holes in the floor of the elevator car, she said.

There is no firm timeline for when it will be operating again, Kuamoo said, but a repair plan was approved Tuesday and the next step is a visit by a technician to initiate the job.

In the meantime, senior residents have to walk up and down multiple flights of stairs for basic daily needs such as meals, medical appointments, medication pickups and essential errands, said Jackie Shen, a friend of a resident of Kalākaua Vista who was not comfortable speaking in public. 

Even doing washing is an issue because the laundry room is situated on the second floor of the building, Shen said.

"How are elderly residents supposed to get laundry baskets down there?" she asked.

Residents told Civil Beat that those with limited mobility are relying on relatives or neighbors to bring them supplies, and some have missed medical appointments.

Delivery drivers from Amazon and UPS are completing deliveries, and technicians were on-site Tuesday doing air conditioning repairs.

Another designated senior apartment building on South King Street, Wisteria Vista, will be without its main elevator for another month as a result of Lala damage, but a second elevator was operating as of Wednesday.

Wisteria Vista is managed by EAH Housing, which handles a portfolio of affordable senior housing in Honolulu. The company did not immediately respond to a request for information on the elevators at its other buildings.

After Civil Beat contacted county officials about the lack of elevator service at Kalākaua Vista, Hawaiʻi Department of Community Services spokesperson Amanda Stevens said staff were going to make contact with building management to check on arrangements for residents there.

Built in 2001, Kalākaua Vista and other designated low-income housing for seniors — including Wisteria Vista, Artesian Vista and Wilder Vista — were originally developed by the state's nonprofit Hawaiʻi Housing Finance & Development Corporation using low-income housing tax credits. Kalākaua Vista is owned by a limited partnership, Kalākaua Vista Apartments.

The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting did not respond to a request for clarification of elevator code requirements.

Who Do I Contact?

Kalākaua Vista is managed by Locations Hawaiʻi. (808) 738-3100.

The building manager is Kainoa Kuamoo. (808) 946-5936.

According to Department of Human Services director Joe Campos, anyone with concerns about the safety of a vulnerable adult may contact the DHS Adult Protective and Community Services (APCS) and submit a report online at https://apsreport.hawaii.gov/for for eligibility determination.

Did Your Building Lose Elevator Service After Lala?

Civil Beat wants to map elevator damage and response and recovery times linked to damage from Hurricane Lala.

Got another tip for our Fix It desk?

You can submit in minutes using this form. Or send us an email at [email protected]. Put “Fix It” in the subject line so it doesn’t get lost.

You can also send a letter to the newsroom at PO Box 10857, Honolulu, HI 96816.

We won’t use your name without your permission.