Hurricane Lowell: A Failure of Preparation and Leadership at PHCA

Hurricane Lowell did not arrive without warning. Yet, in our view, the Princeville at Hanalei Community Association (PHCA) Board and management failed to demonstrate the level of preparation that should be routine for any large community association during hurricane season. Before the storm, members saw little evidence of a coordinated emergency plan, clear assignments, regular communications, or advance coordination with utilities and emergency agencies. In the aftermath, the response has appeared similarly limited: minimal communication with the membership, insufficient visible planning for debris removal and common-area cleanup, and little indication of a systematic assessment of structural, environmental, and infrastructure risks.

What Should Have Happened Before the Storm

PH That plan should have assigned clear responsibilities to the Board, General Manager, staff, security, and contractors. Members should have received advance notices explaining preparations, expected hazards, emergency contacts, and how PHCA would communicate if power, internet, or cellular service failed.

Common areas should have been inspected before the storm. Dangerous trees and loose debris should have been addressed, drainage systems checked and cleared, and roofs, roads, retaining walls, gates, lighting, and other Association infrastructure documented. Emergency contractors for tree removal, debris hauling, electrical repairs, roofing, and structural inspection should have been placed on standby. PHCA should also have established direct contacts with KIUC, Kauaʻi County emergency officials, water and wastewater providers, insurers, and other critical organizations.

What Should Have Happened After the Storm

Once conditions allowed, PHCA should have immediately inspected all common property, documented damage, identified unsafe areas, and brought in qualified professionals where structural, electrical, drainage, erosion, flooding, or environmental problems were suspected. Roads, paths, entrances, drainage areas, and other common spaces should have been surveyed and dangerous debris removed according to a clear priority system.

At the same time, management should have maintained an active dialogue with KIUC and other utilities, providing information about blocked access, fallen trees, damaged infrastructure, and conditions affecting restoration. Members should have received regular updates on power, water, roads, common facilities, hazards, cleanup priorities, and what PHCA was doing each day. Even when there was little new information, a dependable communication schedule would have reassured residents that someone was managing the recovery. A lone PHCA director, Rose Krebs, took it uponn herself to share news on the official "Enumerate" member portal in the absence of a coordinated Board/Management process. Renters who reside in Princeville do not have access to this portal.

A Failure of Leadership

The larger issue is leadership. Hurricane preparedness should not begin when a storm is already approaching. It should be a normal, habitual part of PHCA governance every hurricane season. The Board—particularly its Chair and Vice Chair—should ensure that emergency procedures are reviewed annually, responsibilities are assigned in advance, outside agencies and utilities are contacted, contractors are identified, and internal checklists are ready to activate. The Vice Chair, in particular, leads the infrastructure committee and has done aboslutely nothing regarding planning, despite regular requests from committee members.

When those systems are absent, the result is predictable: confusion before the storm, uncertainty afterward, and members left wondering who is in charge. Whatever lessons emerge from Hurricane Lowell, PHCA should now adopt a formal emergency-preparedness and recovery process so that this failure is not repeated.

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