HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Several Kaaawa residents who live in multi-generational homes along the shoreline agree there is a common misconception about them and their properties.

“We’re not rich, we just live here, rent here, our neighbors do own, they are not rich either, they’re elders,” said Rosemary Sablan. “So these are not rich people homes, we just happen to live by the beach.”

This week’s winter swells sent high surf across the islands, prompting closures of Hawaii Island beach parks and reigniting erosion concerns for homeowners on Oahu.

State laws restrict shoreline protection

Sablan and others living in beachside properties say the state is stopping them from protecting their homes from damage they fear they cannot afford to repair.

Hawaii currently prohibits homeowners

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