Wailuku residents Tom and Carrie Bashaw are now sleeping in a storage container after floodwaters destroyed their home

A Maui couple is starting over after a Kona storm turned Iao Stream into a raging river, destroying their home in Happy Valley.

A Maui couple is starting over after a Kona storm turned Iao Stream into a raging river, destroying their home in Happy Valley.

Tom and Carrie Bashaw, both nearly 80 years old, began building their dream home at the top of Mokuhau Road in 2020.

On Saturday morning, floodwaters from the storm eroded the rocks beneath their home, causing the structure to come crashing down.

‘The whole back half of the house was gone’

“The whole back half of the house was gone. Bedrooms, living room,” Tom said.

Winds then lifted what remained of the structure and sent it into the stream below.

“Never expected my whole house to disappear,” Carrie said. “Everything’s gone.”

No flood insurance

The couple said they did not carry flood insurance.

“We didn’t have flood insurance,” Tom said. “We never thought it was going to flood.”

The Bashaws said their home sat 75 feet away from the stream and 45 feet above it.

“Mother Nature wins, and she wants you, she takes you. She didn’t take us, she just took the house. We’re grateful for that. We have each other,” Tom said.

The couple is now sleeping on cushions inside a storage container on their property along with their two cats, Civa and Ty, while they determine next steps.

“It’s not good for my arthritic hip, but it’s sleeping, so that’s good,” Carrie said.

GoFundMe set up for the Bashaws

Carrie’s daughter has set up a GoFundMe page for the couple.

The Bashaws said they are grateful for any support.

“There’s nothing else we can do. This is all we’ve got and it’s gone and we’re survivors and we’ll just start again,” Carrie said. “We’ve got each other. We got the cats and we got the best neighbors anywhere. So, we’re good.”