Husband-and-wife Matt and Tzaddi Pearce, who have lived in the Waialua-Haleʻiwa area for 23 years, are among many ʻohana who experienced severe flooding that affected their livelihoods during recent storms across the Islands.
Parents to three kids 18 and younger, the couple work as elementary school teachers at charter school Hawaiʻi Technology Academy. The family shares property with Tzaddi Pearce’s mother, who lived in a separate dwelling that was claimed by the floods. After about two weeks living with the Pearces in the main house, she moved back to the Mainland until they can rebuild.
The floods also damaged their home pottery studio, which provided additional income for family experiences and college tuition, as well as student enrichment opportunities and more.
“We started with a community studio, but it was too much overhead, [so] we just make and sell it,” Pearce told Aloha State Daily. “If you’ve ever been on the North Shore, you’ve probably seen pottery signs at the roundabout – that’s us!”
Following the severe storms, her sister-in-law Elizabeth Husserl in California helped launch a GoFundMe fundraiser for major equipment and supplies lost in the studio: a kiln, wheel, clay and glaze tools. Pearce noted that with such an “incredible” response already, they’ve begun ordering items on the list.
“The pottery studio gives us that little bit extra to support our family,” she said, adding that with the fundraiser, “we were hesitant the first five or six days, just because so there’s so many people who have lost so much. It was really hard.”
“But everybody kept asking us, ‘What can we do?’ It’s truly been amazing. We’ve had so many people support — family, friends, friends of friends — in so many ways.”
From financial aid to helpful hands shoveling mud, taking out drywall and flooring and dumping trash, Pearce said each contribution has helped move them forward.
Flashbacks to the floods
Amid the storms, Pearce recalled getting an alert late at night, looking out the window and seeing the yard was flooded. Her husband went to get her mom whose studio was already under water, she said.
“Mom’s house was completely flooded. She pretty much lost everything,” Pearce recalled. “We got the mandatory evacuation notice and by that point, my car and hers were completely flooded. … We waded out more than a waist-high to my husband’s truck and were able to leave.”
The water had come up 5- to 6-feet, she said.
“We lost our personal teaching supplies but were able to save some knickknacks,” she added.
After several days at a friend’s house, the Pearces were able to return home to assess the damages and start the cleanup process.
Moving mud and debris out in addition to mold remediation were top of mind, she said, noting that the main house was livable besides a few rooms that needed more work.
“We have amazing friends and family who have come out. The community has been incredible.”
Progress on pottery, rebuild
Now, Pearce said the priority is rebuilding, though they’ve been waiting out the lighter rain passing through.
The family has started to revive the pottery studio and even purchased a wheel thanks to fundraising efforts. “We have started ordering things like glaze, so that we can get that back up and going, because that’s also a source of income [so] we can start fixing the house.”
More long term, the family is looking to secure permits to rebuild Pearce’s mom’s house.
“It was on the ground level, so [we are] trying to figure out how to lift it up above the [flat ground], so it doesn’t flood again,” she said. “We flooded twice since the big flood, and have put off rebuilding.”
She is looking forward to attending The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting’s event this weekend to learn more.
“My biggest takeaway is just the amazing community we live in,” Pearce said. “Everybody has come together to support and take care of each other. I feel so fortunate.”
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
