Thousands ordered to evacuate as Hawaii hit by severe flash floods | Hawaii

Significant flash flooding and the imminent failure of a dam in the northern part of Oahu prompted evacuation warnings in Hawaii on Friday, as the state continues to face a powerful storm this week.

The waters came quickly in the middle of the night and videos on social media showed flooded streets and cars swallowed by muddy waters.

As heavy rains continued to pound Hawaii, Oahu’s Wahiawā Dam saw water pouring over its spillway at a rate of 1,500 gallons per second Friday morning. Oahu Emergency Management warned that the dam “could collapse or rupture at any time.”

Honolulu officials asked residents in an emergency message to leave the area downstream of the dam.

Emergency sirens sounded along Oahu’s famous North Shore, where rising waters also damaged homes. At 5:35 a.m. Friday, Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.”

It is still unclear how many residents will be able to evacuate, given that many roads are already flooded. A shelter set up at Waialua High School lost power early Friday morning and had to be evacuated itself.

North Shore state Rep. Amy Perruso told Honolulu Civil Beat that emergency services were having trouble reaching people and many residents’ vehicles were underwater. “There is no exit option for a lot of people right now,” Perruso said.

The Honolulu Emergency Department said in the early hours of Friday: “If you are trapped, go to the highest level. Stay out of attics without access to the roof.”

Authorities have been monitoring dam levels since a storm last week dumped heavy rain across the state, causing catastrophic flooding that washed away roads and homes. After the worst, a similar but weaker storm is expected to bring more rain this weekend.

Josh Green, Hawaii’s governor, said in a social media post that the Hawaii National Guard had been activated to respond to the flooding. “The storm is obviously very severe right now, especially on the northern part of Oahu,” he said, describing chest-deep floodwaters. “It’s going to be a very eventful day. »

The flash floods came just days after a multi-day storm brought more than a foot of rain to parts of Hawaii.

Most of the state was under a flood watch, with North Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service, which reported “widespread life-threatening flash flooding,” particularly in Haleiwa and Waialua.

A shelter at Waialua High School and Middle School is being evacuated due to flooding, Honolulu spokesman Ian Scheuring said. There were about 185 people and 50 pets sheltering there but being transported by bus to another evacuation center.

As she prepared to evacuate to a friend’s house on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that the aging dam was a concern every time it rained.

“Just pray for us,” she said. “We understand it’s still raining.”

Molly Pierce, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the evacuation order covers more than 4,000 people, although that number could be higher.

Authorities issued a warning about the dam during heavy rain last week, but the water level dropped as the rain subsided.

“Water is actively flowing over the spillway right now,” she said.

The state regulates 132 dams across Hawaii, most built as part of irrigation systems for the sugarcane industry, according to a 2019 infrastructure report from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In 2006, seven people were killed when Ka Loko Dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and water rushed downward.