WAILUKU, Maui — Frustration is growing among some Kaupo residents who are still dealing with the aftermath of the Oct. 15 earthquakes.

The remote community of 35 or so residents on the backside of Haleakala is cut off on one side of Pi'ilani Highway by the closure of damaged Paihi Bridge near Kipahulu, and on the other by the threat of falling rocks loosened by the earthquakes. The highway closures have made it impossible for residents of both Kaupo and Kipahulu to get to jobs, medical appointments, schools and stores without ignoring road-closed signs posted by the county.

"It's a little tough. We're managing as much as we can. It's been a while since we've gone through something like this," said Uilani Beck, 30, who was raised in Kaupo.

She said the community is concerned about its kupuna and making sure they can get to medical care, and about mail delivery. Kipahulu and Kaupo residents can get their mail at either the Hana or Kula post offices, but getting there means crossing the bridge on foot and catching a ride to Hana town, or driving to Kula on Pi'ilani Highway, which is supposed to be off-limits.

"Technically, we're not supposed to use the road, but what about people who have jobs? We're working to provide for families and pay the bills. What about lost wages?" Beck said.

Despite the hazards, she has been driving to her job with Sandwich Isles Communications in Kula. "We've got families. Just because they declare the road closed, it's hard for us to stop," she said.

"The road is very, very dangerous. Rocks are just hanging and anytime they can drop," she said. But Beck and other Kaupo residents say the danger has always been there.

An emergency 120-foot long span is being built beside 95-year-old Paihi Bridge and should be open to traffic Dec. 1, said county Managing Director Keith Regan. Fixing the problems on Pi'ilani Highway will take longer. The county hired the consulting firm Geolabs Inc. to conduct an assessment of the rockfall conditions in the Manawainui area that will identify the sites in need of immediate action and strategies to remove dangerous boulders by scaling the mountainside or some other means. Long-term solutions may include anchored wire mesh, rock bolts and catchment fences, Regan said.

While the road and bridge closures remain in effect, the county has been arranging for a Hawai'i Army National Guard helicopter to fly fuel, food and other supplies into Kaupo and Kipahulu on a regular basis. Mayor Alan Arakawa also stationed one of his executive assistants, Zeke Kalua, in Kipahulu, which is home to several hundred residents.

Financial losses from the road and bridge closures are taking a toll on Linda Domen and her family in Kaupo. Domen is proprietor of Kaupo General Store, which normally relies on the tourist traffic heading to and from Hana and Kipahulu. Since Oct. 15, the store has seen its business drop to only one or two cars a day. Domen said she has been spending a lot of time on the phone with creditors, asking for more time to pay her bills.

Domen feels the county is responsible for the loss of income she and other business owners are experiencing due to the road and bridge closures. She said the county should offer grants to get the small businesses through this tough period.

"It's a frustrating and confusing time," Domen said. "If they are going to close us off, they need to take care of us, and I don't mean by sending us Spam. I want to be able to pay my bills."

Regan said the county has offered to help business owners obtain low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration, and is offering to pay rent in Hana for Kaupo and Kipahulu residents who have jobs there while the bridge is closed. No one had taken advantage of the offer, Regan said. He denied that Kaupo residents have been neglected.

"We have offered to help them find low-interest loans with the SBA, we've dropped food items, we've gone out there and done the assessment of community needs, we're doing the same flight operations. The only difference is we don't have someone living in Kaupo like we do in Kipahulu," he said.

"We've gone out there numerous times and we're doing everything we can to accommodate Kaupo residents. But we can't just give them money, not if we're dealing with individuals who are running for-profit companies."

Although the earthquakes did not cause widespread damage on Maui, several nonprofit agencies are seeking help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for building repairs.

The balcony on the Mahalani Street side of the Cameron Center in Wailuku took on cracks and is in danger of collapse, and a wall in another part of the building is fractured, said center president and CEO Audrey Rocha Reed. The center houses 14 nonprofit agencies and community meeting spaces.

Braces are in place to shore up the balcony, Reed said, and center officials have been told that pillars or a support wall will have to be built. The center hopes to get FEMA aid to offset the estimated $200,000 cost of repairs.

It will cost about $50,000 to replace the damaged roof on the Maui Academy of Performing Arts' studio on Main Street in Wailuku, said managing director Paul Janes-Brown. "It's still leaking. There are waterfalls coming out of the lights when it rains. It's really scary," he said.

The Maui Historical Society has closed off a portion of the Bailey House Museum in Wailuku and its grounds for fear the earthquake-damaged chimney built in 1833 will collapse. Although the missionary house remains open to visitors, "it's not something that should be left undone," said executive director Roslyn Lightfoot, who also is applying for FEMA aid.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.