Posted on: Thursday, August 22, 2002

Nu'uanu alerted of another boulder

Advertiser Staff and News Services

The O'ahu Civil Defense Agency has warned about 30 residents who live along a street in Nu'uanu that another potentially hazardous boulder has been found behind their hillside houses.

Dara Onishi, 26, was killed in her sleep Aug. 9 when a 5-ton boulder crashed into her family's house along Henry Street.

The boulder, about 5 feet in diameter, clipped the rear eaves of the house and crashed through the wall, hitting Onishi. It tore through the floor, taking Onishi and her bed with it before striking the floor of a family room beneath, next to the home's carport.

Attorney Steven Hisaka, who represents the couple who own the land behind the houses, said that following the accident, his clients hired a geologist and geo-technical engineer to survey the area.

The geologist's preliminary report said another large boulder was found in a precarious position behind the Onishi home, Hisaka said.

After receiving the report, Hisaka said he notified civil defense and other government officials.

Hisaka said his clients are considering a number of options, including removing the 3-foot-tall cubical boulder or securing it with steel cables and netting.

O'ahu Civil Defense Administrator Doug Aton said a warning flier was distributed to Henry Street residents Tuesday.

State and city officials earlier said the boulder originated from private property and that they have no jurisdiction. The Honolulu Fire Department investigated the hillside following the tragedy, and said they could not guarantee that rocks wouldn't fall again.