HONOLULU — Hawaii has been hit by its worst flooding in more than 20 years Heavy rain fell On soil already saturated by heavy rains from Winter storm a week agoOfficials said Friday while warning that more rain was expected over the weekend.
Muddy flood waters choked vast areas of North Oahu Beacha world-famous community for big wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and issued evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. The authorities warned of the possibility of the collapse of a 120-year-old dam.
Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could exceed $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people’s homes and the Maui Hospital on Kula.
“This will have very serious consequences for us as a country,” Green said at a news conference.
Much of the state was under a flood watch, with a flood warning for Haleiwa and Waialua on north Oahu, according to the National Weather Service.
Green said his chief of staff spoke to the White House and received assurances that the islands would receive federal support.
No deaths have been reported and no one is missing. He added that about 10 people were taken to hospital due to hypothermia.
Honolulu spokesman Ian Schuring said search crews searched by air and sea for stranded people, efforts that were hampered by people who used drones to take photos of the flooding.
The Honolulu National Guard and Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults attending a spring break youth camp at a resort on Ohio’s west coast called Our Lady of Keaau, according to city and camp officials. The mayor said that the camp is located on high ground, but the authorities do not want to leave them there.
Green said the floods are the most serious the state has seen since the 2004 floods at Manoa, which inundated homes and the University of Hawaii library.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said dozens if not hundreds of homes were damaged Friday, but officials were unable to fully assess the damage. Evacuation orders were issued for about 5,500 people.
“There is no doubt that the damage done so far has been catastrophic,” he said.
Officials attributed some of the damage to the huge amount of rain that fell in a short period on saturated ground. Parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) of rain overnight. Cala, the highest peak on the island, reached nearly 16 inches (40 centimeters) in height in the past day, the National Weather Service said.
More rain expected: 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of rain is expected on Oahu over the next two to three days, Blangiardi said.
Winter storm systems known as “Kona lows,” characterized by southerly or southwesterly winds that bring in moisture-laden air, have been responsible for the deluge in the past two weeks. the Intensity and frequency 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 imminent risk of failure.”
The water level at the dam had fallen by late Friday, but that could change if more rain falls. Overnight and into Friday, the dam’s height rose from 79 feet to 84 feet (24 to 25.6 meters) — just 6 feet (1.8 meters) behind what it can handle, authorities said.
As she prepared to evacuate to a friend’s house on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the old levee was a concern every time it rained.
“Just pray for us,” she said. “We know there is more rain coming.”
The state said the Wahiawa Dam had “high risk potential” and that failure would “result in the potential loss of human life.”
The earthen dam was built in 1906 to increase sugar production for the Waialua Agricultural Company, which eventually became a subsidiary of the Dole Foods Company. It was rebuilt after its collapse in 1921.
The state has sent Dole four notices of deficiency on the dam since 2009 and five years ago fined the company $20,000 for failing to address safety deficiencies on time, according to records.
Dole then proposed donating the dam, reservoir, and ditch system to the state in exchange for the state’s agreement to repair the spillway to meet and maintain dam safety standards.
The state passed legislation in 2023 allowing the dam to be acquired. It also provided $5 million to purchase the spillway and $21 million to repair and expand it to comply with dam safety requirements. But the transfer was not completed. The state board is scheduled to vote on the acquisition next week.
“The dam continues to operate as designed with no signs of damage,” Dole said in an emailed statement.
The state regulates 132 Dams across HawaiiMost were built as part of irrigation systems for the sugarcane industry, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2019 Infrastructure Report.
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Associated Press writer Haley Golden contributed to this report from Seattle.