Hawaii’s worst flooding in 20 years threatens dam, prompts evacuations as more rain looms

HONOLULU (AP) — As Hawaii endures its worst flooding successful much than 20 years, officials are urging radical successful hard-hit areas to “LEAVE NOW.” The informing aboriginal Saturday came aft dense rains fell connected ungraded already saturated by downpours from a wintertime tempest a week ago. Still much rainfall was expected during the weekend, officials said.

Muddy floodwaters smothered immense stretches of Oahu's North Shore, a assemblage world-renowned for its big-wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 radical northbound of Honolulu. Authorities cautioned that a 120-year-old dam could fail. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood informing aboriginal Saturday with airy to mean showers expected to crook dense successful immoderate places.

Gov. Josh Green said the outgo of the tempest could apical $1 billion, including harm to airports, schools, roads, people's homes and a Maui infirmary successful Kula.

"This is going to person a precise superior effect for america arsenic a state,” Green said astatine a quality conference.

Most of the authorities was nether a flood watch, with Haleiwa and Waialua successful bluish Oahu nether a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service.

“Residents successful the Waialua country are powerfully urged to LEAVE NOW,” an exigency alert said aboriginal Saturday. “The remaining entree roadworthy retired of Waialua is astatine precocious hazard of nonaccomplishment if rainfall continues.”

Green said his main of unit spoke to the White House and received assurances the islands would person national support.

Most superior flooding since 2004

No deaths were reported and nary 1 was unaccounted for. More than 200 radical person been rescued, officials said. About 10 radical were taken to a infirmary with hypothermia, helium said.

Crews searched by aerial and by h2o for radical who had been stranded — efforts that were hampered by radical flying idiosyncratic drones to get images of the flooding, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu.

The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults who had been attending a outpouring interruption younker campy astatine a retreat connected Oahu’s westbound seashore called Our Lady of Kea’au, according to metropolis and campy officials. The campy is connected precocious crushed but authorities didn’t privation to permission them there, the politician said.

Green said the flooding was the state's astir superior since 2004 floods successful Manoa inundated homes and a University of Hawaii library.

Dozens — if not hundreds — of homes were damaged Friday but officials haven't been capable to afloat measure the destruction, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. Some 5,500 radical were nether evacuation orders.

“There’s nary question that the harm done frankincense acold has been catastrophic,” helium said.

Officials blamed immoderate of the devastation connected the sheer magnitude of rainfall that fell successful a abbreviated magnitude of clip connected saturated land. Parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) of rainfall overnight. Kaala, the island’s highest peak, got astir 16 inches (40 cm) successful the past day, the National Weather Service said.

More rainfall was expected: Blangiardi said 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of rainfall was forecast to autumn connected Oahu successful the adjacent 2 to 3 days.

Winter tempest systems known arsenic “Kona lows,” which diagnostic southerly oregon southwesterly winds that bring successful moisture-laden air, were liable for the deluges successful the past 2 weeks. The strength and frequence of dense rains successful Hawaii person accrued amid human-caused planetary warming, experts say.

Eyes connected an aging dam

Officials person been intimately watching the Wahiawa dam, which has been susceptible for decades, saying it was “at hazard of imminent failure.”

Water levels successful the dam — astir 17 miles (28 kilometers) northwest of Honolulu, connected the land of Oahu — receded by precocious Friday but that could alteration if much rainfall falls.

Overnight into Friday, the dam went from 79 feet to 84 feet (24 to 25.6 meters) — conscionable 6 feet (1.8 meters) shy of what it tin handle, authorities said. After peaking astatine much than 85 feet (26 meters), the h2o level had dropped by aboriginal Saturday to 81.5 feet (24.8 meters), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

As she prepared to evacuate to a friend’s location connected higher ground, Waialua nonmigratory Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press successful a telephone interrogation that the aging dam is simply a interest each clip it rains.

“Just commune for us,” she said. “We recognize there’s much rainfall coming.”

The authorities has said Wahiawa dam has “high hazard potential,” and that a nonaccomplishment “will effect successful probable nonaccomplishment of quality life.”

The earthen dam was built successful 1906 to summation sweetener accumulation for the Waialua Agricultural Company, which yet became a subsidiary of Dole Food Company. It was reconstructed pursuing a illness successful 1921.

The authorities has sent Dole 4 notices of deficiency astir the dam since 2009 and 5 years agone fined the institution $20,000 for failing to code information deficiencies connected time, according to records.

Afterward, Dole projected to donate the dam, reservoir and ditch strategy to the authorities successful speech for the state’s statement to repair the spillway to conscionable and support dam information standards.

The authorities passed authorities successful 2023 authorizing the dam’s acquisition. It besides provided $5 cardinal to bargain the spillway and $21 cardinal to repair and grow it to comply with dam information requirements. But the transportation has not been completed. A authorities committee is owed to ballot connected the acquisition adjacent week.

“The dam continues to run arsenic designed with nary indications of damage,” Dole said successful an emailed statement.

The authorities regulates 132 dams crossed Hawaii, astir of them built arsenic portion of irrigation systems for the sweetener cane industry, according to a 2019 infrastructure study by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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Associated Press writer Hallie Golden contributed to this study from Seattle.

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