(ABOVE) Video shows the effort to help free the Leo family, who has been stuck on their Government Beach Road property deep in the jungle of Puna since Iselle hit four days ago.

Video by David Corrigan

PUNA, Hawaii – Deep in the seaside jungle of Government Beach Road, the Leo family has been stuck behind a pile of fallen albizia trees since Tropical Storm Iselle hit Puna on Friday morning. On Monday, help arrived. Hawaii County, the Hawaii National Guard, and community volunteers helped dig a path to freedom for the family.

A similar story is playing out across the many miles of private roadways in Puna this week, although few efforts are taking place in a location as remote as this. The stretch of Government Beach Road – connecting Hawaiian Beaches with Kapoho – is an unpaved, bumpy ride; a long way from the convenience of infrastructure.

Government Beach Road’s giant mangoes are still standing. This grove was just up the road from a patch of toppled albizia.