Hawaii flooding forces 5,500 evacuations as 120-year-old dam fears grow

Summary

• Flooding on Oahu has forced more than 5,500 residents to evacuate as officials issued a “go now” warning.

• More than 200 people were rescued amid concerns that a historic dam might collapse.

• Damage could exceed $1 billion in Hawaii’s worst flooding in decades.

HONOLULU – As Hawaii faces its worst flooding in more than two decades, officials are urging residents in the hardest-hit areas to evacuate immediately, warning to “leave now” after heavy rains soaked ground already saturated from the previous week’s storm, with more rain expected throughout the weekend.

Go deeper

Muddy floodwaters have covered large swaths of Oahu’s North Shore, known worldwide for its big-wave surfing. Raging waters submerged homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Officials warned that the 120-year-old dam could collapse. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning early Saturday, with light to moderate showers expected in some locations.

Much of the state was under a flood watch while Haleiwa and Waialua in northern Oahu were under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service.

“Residents in the Waialua area are strongly advised to LEAVE NOW,” the emergency alert issued early Saturday said. “If the rain continues, Waialua’s remaining access road will be at high risk of failure.”

No deaths were reported and no one was heard from. Authorities said more than 200 people were rescued. About 10 people were hospitalized for hypothermia, he said.

Honolulu spokesman Ian Scheuring said crews searched for stranded people by air and sea, but those efforts were hampered by people using personal drones to capture images of the flood.

The National Guard and the Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults attending a spring break youth camp at Our Lady of Kea’au retreat on Oahu’s west shore, according to city and camp officials. The mayor said the camp was on high ground but authorities did not want to leave them there.

Dozens, if not hundreds, of homes were damaged Friday, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said, but officials were unable to fully assess the devastation. Approximately 5,500 people were under evacuation orders.

what do they say

Governor Josh Green said the cost of the storm could reach $1 billion, including airports, schools, roads, people’s homes and the Maui hospital in Kula.

“This will have very serious consequences for us as a state,” Green said at a press conference.

Green said his chief of staff spoke with the White House and received assurances that the islands would receive federal support.

The flooding was the most serious in the state since 2004, with homes flooded in Manoa and the University of Hawaii library, Green said.

“There is no doubt that the damage so far has been catastrophic,” he said.

Big picture view

Authorities are closely monitoring the Wahiawa dam, which has been vulnerable for decades, saying it is “at imminent risk of failure.”

Water levels at the dam on the island of Oahu, about 27 miles northwest of Honolulu, decreased late Friday, but that could change if more rain falls.

Overnight through Friday, the dam rose from 79 feet to 84 feet, just 6 feet shy of what it could handle, officials said. The water level dropped to 81.5 feet early Saturday after rising above 85 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Background

The earthen dam was built in 1906 to increase sugar production for the Waialua Agricultural Company, which later became a subsidiary of the Dole Food Company. It was rebuilt after a collapse in 1921.

The state has sent Dole four notices of dam-related deficiencies since 2009 and five years ago fined the company $20,000 for failing to fix safety deficiencies in a timely manner, records show.

Dole then offered to donate the dam, reservoir, and ditch system to the state in exchange for an agreement to repair the spillway to meet and maintain the state’s dam safety standards.

The state passed legislation allowing the purchase of the dam in 2023. It also provided $5 million to purchase the spillway and $21 million to repair and expand it to comply with dam safety requirements. However, the transfer was not completed. The state board is expected to vote on the purchase 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 in Hawaii, most of which were built as part of irrigation systems for the sugarcane industry, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 2019 infrastructure report.

Source

The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a combination of official government sources and news on the ground. Details were provided by emergency alerts and statements from Hawaii state officials, including Gov. Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, as well as local officials and organizations such as the National Weather Service, Honolulu Fire Department and National Guard. This story was reported from Los Angeles.