Wahiawa Dam collapse fears erupt as over 4000 people told ‘leave now’ | World | News
An emergency evacuation order has been issued in Hawaii over fears that a 120-year-old dam could collapse. More than 4,000 residents received an emergency message to evacuate the area downstream of the Wahiawa dam as the flood reached chest level.
“Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s famed North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order for Waialua and Haleiwa early this morning: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam high.” Authorities urged residents to carpool as roads became heavily congested with people fleeing the area.
The National Weather Service in Honolulu issued a flash flood warning at 8:22 a.m. HST (18:22 GMT), citing reports from local law enforcement of an impending dam failure.
Just minutes later, the Oahu Department of Emergency Management warned that a “dam/levee failure was ongoing or expected,” with the potential for life-threatening flooding in downstream areas.
While much of the state was under a flood watch, northern Oahu was under a flash flood warning, according to National. Weather The service reported “widespread life-threatening flash flooding,” particularly in Haleiwa and Waialua.
Honolulu Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Molly Pierce said: “Water is currently actively flowing over the spillway.”
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More than 1 meter of water has flooded the area in the past 24 hours, causing rivers to swell and Wahiawa Reservoir to rise to terrifying heights.
Describing the situation as “touch and go,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green described the storm as “very severe” and said the Hawaii National Guard was activated to respond to the flooding.
“The storm is very strong right now, especially in the northern part of Oahu,” he wrote in a social media post, describing chest-high floodwaters. “It will be a very touching day.” Evacuation shelters were established to receive those fleeing the threat.
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. In 2006, seven people lost their lives when the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and water flowed downwards.
