HONOLULU (AP) 鈥� Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes off their foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu on Friday as officials warned of the possible failure of a 120-year-old dam.
Emergency sirens blared along Oahu鈥檚 North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes in a community world-renowned for its surfing. Honolulu officials told residents Friday morning to leave the area downstream of Wahiawa dam 鈥� long known to be vulnerable 鈥� saying it was 鈥渁t risk of imminent failure.鈥�
More than 230 people were rescued as heavy rains pummeled the Hawaiian island of Oahu and triggered the worst flooding the island has in 20 years, inflicting what the governor said could top $1 billion in damage.
Water levels have been receding at the dam that authorities warned could fail but that could change if more rain falls. In less than 24 hours, water at the dam went from 79 feet to 84 feet 鈥� just six feet shy of what it can handle, authorities said.
No deaths reported, but some treated for hypothermia
No deaths were reported and no one was unaccounted for Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference. About 10 people were taken to a hospital with hypothermia, he said.
Crew searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded 鈥� efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, he said.
Dozens 鈥� if not hundreds 鈥� of homes had been damaged but officials have not been able to fully assess the destruction, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in an afternoon news conference. Some 5,500 people were under evacuation orders.
“There鈥檚 no question that the damage done thus far has been catastrophic,鈥� he said.
Blangiardi said officials felt confident in the stability of the dams on the island, but that it was hard to predict how much rain would come and what it might do.
The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults who had been attending a spring break youth camp at a retreat on Oahu鈥檚 west coast called Our Lady of Kea鈥檃u, according to city and camp officials. The camp is on high ground but authorities didn鈥檛 want to leave them there, the mayor said.
Kimberly R.Y. Vierra, a spokesperson for St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawai鈥榠, which owns the retreat property in west Oahu, said floodwaters had cut off the entrance road to the camp.
On Maui, officials issued an evacuation advisory for some Lahaina neighborhoods after nearby retention basins neared capacity. Parts of those neighborhoods were burned by the massive in 2023.
Keeping a close eye on the dam
Officials have been watching dam levels since a storm last week dumped heavy rain across the state, which led to catastrophic flooding that . Two people were seriously injured in that event 鈥� one in the neck and another in the head. A similar but weaker storm was forecast to bring more rain through this weekend.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a very touch-and-go day,鈥� Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a social media post.
Most of the state was under a flood watch, with Haleiwa and Waialua in northern Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service.
One shelter at Waialua High and Intermediate School was evacuated because of flooding, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu. There were about 185 people and 50 pets there who needed to be bussed to another evacuation center, but by midday 54 people still remained in the shelter.
Parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) of rain overnight, further saturating the ground after the storm last weekend. Kaala, the island’s highest peak, got nearly 16 inches (40 cm) in the past day, NWS said.
鈥楰ona lows鈥� play a role in deluges
Winter storm systems known as 鈥淜ona lows,鈥� which feature southerly or southwesterly winds that bring in moisture-laden air, were responsible for the deluges. The of heavy rains in Hawaii of have increased amid human-caused global warming, experts say.
As she prepared to evacuate to a friend鈥檚 home on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the aging Wahiawa dam is a concern every time it rains.
鈥淛ust pray for us,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e understand there鈥檚 more rain coming.鈥�
The state has said the dam has 鈥渉igh hazard potential,鈥� and that a failure 鈥渨ill result in probable loss of human life.鈥�
Dam dates back to 1906
The earthen dam was built in 1906 to increase sugar production for the Waialua Agricultural Company, which eventually became a subsidiary of Dole Food Company. It was reconstructed following a collapse in 1921.
The state has sent Dole four notices of deficiency about the dam since 2009 and five years ago fined the company $20,000 for failing to address safety deficiencies on time, according to records.
Afterward, Dole proposed to donate the dam, reservoir and ditch system to the state in exchange for the state鈥檚 agreement to repair the spillway to meet and maintain dam safety standards.
The state passed legislation in 2023 authorizing the dam鈥檚 acquisition. It also provided $5 million to buy the spillway and $21 million to repair and expand it to comply with dam safety requirements. But the transfer has not been completed. A state board is due to vote on the acquisition next week.
鈥淭he dam continues to operate as designed with no indications of damage,鈥� Dole said in an emailed statement.
The state regulates 132 , most of them built as part of irrigation systems for the sugar cane industry, according to a 2019 infrastructure report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
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