GLENWOOD, Hawaii – The recent thunderstorms that brought flash flooding to parts of Hawaii Island left upper Puna residents living in the Aloha Estates subdivision in the lurch.

Huge potholes left Mauna Loa Road in disrepair, forcing the residents who use the road to patch things up themselves.

One super pothole washout was deep enough to sit at the edge and dangle your legs. Resident Lynn Anderson demonstrated how deep by stepping into the puka. Daryl Lee’s photo is above.

The residents say two, normally-dry watercourses meet at Mauna Loa Rd. and Nau Nani St. The watercourses are directed under the roadways through culverts. However, due to the recent downpours, floodwaters over-ran the road and washed out the unpaved roadway and partial pavement.

The State and County are unclear over responsibility and ownership of the roads.

Resident Mike Newman wasn’t going to wait. He hired David Burge to bring in a load of gravel to patch the road fronting his property.

photo by Daryl Lee

photo by Daryl Lee