Kahuku High's Band Room Still Isn't Fixed, Seven Months After Flooding
Kahuku High School's band program is still stuck without a real practice room seven months after storm flooding damaged it, and that's bad news for the students trying to keep the music program alive.
- Flooding during the Kona low storms soaked instruments and left the band room moldy, forcing the school to shut it down over health concerns.
- Students have been shuffled between temporary spaces on campus that aren't built for playing instruments, and many have lost access to their instruments entirely.
- The state Department of Education says the delay comes down to huge demand for storm repair work across public schools and a shortage of available contractors.
- Band members say the constant moving and lack of a real rehearsal space has made it hard to stay together as a group, and some fear performances will suffer because of it.
- The DOE says environmental cleanup work is done, but full reconstruction of the room may not finish until December.
Outlook: The band room likely won't be usable again until at least December, meaning students face another school year without a proper practice space.