Floodwaters from the Waiawa Stream surged onto Agape Christian Fellowship Oahu's Pearl City property, tearing through tents, a 40-foot storage container and much of the camp gear the church counts on every summer. Leaders say the damage is roughly equal to what it costs to run Camp Agape for a year, and warn the loss could force them to cancel the program's 20th season. The free camp, which organizers say supports children affected by parental incarceration, typically serves more than 200 kids and now faces a very uncertain summer.
According to Hawaii News Now, finance manager Charlotte Yamamoto estimated the damage at nearly $160,000 and said, "everything that we usually do for our church was literally wiped out in one night." The outlet reports that tents and equipment stored in 40-foot containers were damaged or destroyed, and that church leaders equate the losses with the camp's annual operating budget. Organizers told reporters they are now scrambling to see whether replacement gear or emergency funding can be found in time for summer.
Storms Left Ground Saturated and Streams Ready to Spill Over
A county emergency proclamation cited a statewide Flood Watch and warnings from the National Weather Service, putting the Waiawa Stream overflow into a broader statewide storm picture. Officials pointed to prolonged heavy rainfall and already saturated soils, a combination that makes flash flooding and debris flows more likely in low-lying stream corridors like the one that runs past the church.
Bridges, Debris and How the Water Backed Up
Church members say debris and trash collecting at upstream bridges helped funnel floodwaters out of the Waiawa Stream channel and onto church property, with a longtime member, Ed, pointing out visible piles of opala stacked on a nearby span. Yamamoto told Hawaii News Now that the upstream crossings include one owned by Navy TAC, one by the city and one by the state, and that accumulated debris at those sites can back water up into the camp area. The U.S. Geological Survey keeps a monitoring station on Waiawa Stream near H-1, underscoring how quickly flows in that corridor can spike when storms line up just wrong.
Camp Agape’s Mission and Its Fragile Funding Base
Organizers say Camp Agape has spent two decades offering a free, faith-based week of activities and counseling for children whose parents are incarcerated, with a focus on providing stability and mentoring during a time of life that rarely feels stable. Public tax filings and grant records show modest foundation grants and donations to Camp Agape and Agape Christian Fellowship in recent years, highlighting how heavily the program leans on outside support to cover its operating costs.
Church leaders say that without substantial cleanup and repairs, the future of Camp Agape is in doubt, and nearby residents worry that future kona-low storms could send floodwaters right back through the same vulnerable stretch. With summer fast approaching, organizers say the clock is ticking to replace equipment or lock in emergency funding if the camp is to reach its 20th year.
