Hawaii urges residents to ‘leave now’ amid worst flooding in over 20 years | Hawaii
As Hawaii endures its worst flooding in more than 20 years, officials urged residents in hard-hit areas to “LEAVE NOW.” The warning came early Saturday after heavy rain fell on ground already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago, and even more is expected this weekend.
Muddy floodwaters covered large stretches of the North Shore of Oahu, a community known for its big wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Authorities have warned that a 120-year-old dam could collapse.
“The remaining access road out of Waialua is at high risk of failure if rains continue,” an emergency alert states.
On the island of Maui, authorities upgraded an evacuation notice to a warning for parts of Lahaina, which is still reeling from a deadly wildfire in 2023, due to near-full retention ponds.
Residents on Oahu’s North Shore who did not evacuate were comforted in the morning by receding waters and moments of blue skies, but more rain was on the way.
“Don’t let your guard down just yet,” said Tina Stall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu. “There is still potential for additional impacts in the event of flooding.”
Racquel Achiu, a Waialua farmer who stayed to care for her livestock, found her goats knee-deep in water Thursday night, and an hour later her family’s seven dogs were in danger of drowning in a raised kennel. His nephew and son-in-law rushed into the chest-deep water to save them.
“My dogs’ heads were literally sticking out of the water,” Achiu said. “There was so much water I can’t even express it.”
Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could exceed $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, homes and a Maui hospital in Kula.
“This is going to have very serious consequences for us as a state,” Green said at a news conference. He also said his chief of staff spoke with the White House and received assurances of federal support.
Green said the flooding was the most severe in the state since 2004, when homes and a University of Hawaii library were inundated.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of homes were damaged, but authorities have yet to fully assess the damage. Some 5,500 people were under evacuation orders.
Authorities blamed part of the damage on the amount of rain that fell in a short time on saturated land. Parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm), the National Weather Service said.
More than 200 people were rescued from rising waters, authorities said, but no deaths were reported and no one was missing. Teams searched by air and sea for the stranded people.
Winter storm systems known as “Kona Lows,” characterized by south or southwest winds bringing moisture-laden air, have been responsible for the deluges over the past two weeks. The intensity and frequency of heavy rains in Hawaii have increased amid human-caused global warming, experts say.
Officials are closely monitoring the Wahiawa Dam, which has been vulnerable for decades, saying it is “at risk of imminent failure.”
Water levels at the dam about 17 miles (28 km) northwest of Honolulu on the island of Oahu fell Friday evening, then rose again amid overnight rain.
However, the next morning, the dam seemed less of a concern than “the extent of dangerous conditions” across the island, said Molly Pierce, a spokeswoman for Oahu’s Department of Emergency Management.
She noted significant flooding, particularly in residential areas of Honolulu.
“We’re seeing the waters recede in many places, but again, with this saturation, a tiny amount of water can cause the raging ones to rise again,” Pierce said. “So even if the sky is blue where you are, I think we all know in Hawaii that if the rain falls on the mountain, it comes pretty early.”
