Hawaii flooding prompts evacuation orders for more than 4,000 people

Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, 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.

Honolulu officials told some 4,000 residents in an emergency message to leave the area downstream of the Wahiawa dam because it’s failing or expected to fail soon. Ryan Wilson, a spokesperson from the Oahu mayor’s office, said Friday the dam “is at imminent risk to fail,” adding “this is one of those circumstances where you can’t take a risk about it.”

Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s famed North Shore, where rising waters also damaged homes. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order at 5:35 a.m. Friday for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.”

Officials are warning of life-threatening flood conditions. Dam levels have been high since a storm last week dumped heavy rain across the state, resulting in catastrophic flooding that washed away roads and homes. After the worst of it, a similar but weaker storm was forecast to bring more rain through this weekend. 

The National Weather Service in Honolulu issued a flood watch through Sunday afternoon for all islands in Hawaii. 

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a social media post that the Hawaii National Guard has been activated to respond to the flooding. 

“The storm of course is very severe right now, particularly on the northern part of Oahu,” he said, describing chest-high flood waters. “It’s going to be a very touch-and-go day.”

Green told reporters early Friday there had been some rescues “directly from rooftops.” He added that “all resources have been mobilized,” to assist residents during the flooding. 

Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the evacuation order covers more than 4,000 people, though the number could be higher.

Green said several pet-friendly shelters are open, including ones at Waialua High and Intermediate, Wahiawā District Park, Nānākuli High and Intermediate, and Kahuku Elementary.

Most of the state was under a flood watch, with northern Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service, which reported “widespread life-threatening flash flooding” particularly in Haleiwa and Waialua.

As she prepared to evacuate to a friend’s home on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the aging dam is a concern every time it rains.

“Just pray for us,” she said. “We understand there’s more rain coming.”

Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the evacuation order covers more than 4,000 people, though the number could be higher.

Officials issued a warning for the dam during heavy rain last week, but the water level receded as the rain subsided.

“The water is actively running over the spillway right now,” she said.

The state regulates 132 dams across Hawaii, 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.

Severe flooding in 2021 may have caused a breach of Kaupakalua Dam in the Maui community of Haiku. Several years earlier, in 2018, flooding decimated Hawaii’s taro crop. In 2006, seven people were killed when the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and water rushed downhill.