Hawaii flash flooding Oahu forced more than 230 rescues and evacuation orders for about 5,500 people after heavy rains inundated streets and homes on the island.
Officials warned that a 120 year old earthen dam was at risk of imminent failure, and water levels at the reservoir rose from 79 feet to 84 feet in less than 24 hours, leaving it six feet shy of what authorities said it can handle.
Gov. Josh Green said no deaths were reported and no one was unaccounted for, and he added that about 10 people were taken to hospital with hypothermia.
Rescue crews searched by air and by water for stranded residents, and officials said efforts were hampered by people flying personal drones to capture flooding images.
National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department personnel airlifted 72 children and adults from a spring break camp at Our Lady of Keaau, and dozens of homes were reported damaged or swept away, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said.
The National Weather Service reported parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches of rain overnight, while Kaala, the island's highest peak, recorded nearly 16 inches, further saturating ground already soaked by a storm last week that caused catastrophic flooding.
Dam Safety Ownership And Broader Risks
Officials described the structure at risk as the Wahiawa dam, built in 1906 and reconstructed after a 1921 collapse, and the state classifies the facility as high hazard, saying failure would probably cause loss of life.
The state has sent Dole notices of deficiency about the dam since 2009 and fined the company twenty thousand dollars five years ago for delayed safety work, the record shows.
Dole said the dam "continues to operate as designed with no indications of damage," and the company previously proposed donating the dam and water system to the state while the state would repair the spillway.
The legislature authorized acquisition in 2023 and allocated five million dollars to buy the spillway and twenty one million dollars to repair and expand it to meet safety standards, but the transfer remains incomplete and a state board is due to vote next week on the acquisition.
Authorities noted they regulate 132 dams across Hawaii, and experts cited in reporting said the intensity and frequency of heavy rains in Hawaii have increased amid human caused global warming, adding context to recent storm patterns.
