Severe Flooding Hits Hawaii
On Sunday afternoon, over 2,000 residents were still without power after Hawaii experienced its worst flooding in over two decades, fueled by heavy rainfall.
The torrential downpour followed a winter storm just a week earlier, leaving the ground saturated. The flooding was so severe that it swept away homes and vehicles, with damages estimated at around $1 billion.
This storm led authorities to issue an assessment order for 5,500 people north of Honolulu, although it was lifted later. Despite that, more than 200 individuals had to be rescued from rising waters.
Molly Pierce, a spokeswoman from the Oahu Emergency Management Agency, indicated on Sunday afternoon that there were currently no reported fatalities.
By that same afternoon, Hawaiian Electric reported that power had been restored to about 1,200 customers in Waialua, located on Oahu’s North Shore. Power had been proactively shut off on Friday due to flooding concerns.
Repair work is ongoing, and Hawaiian Electric aims to restore power to an additional 2,000 people by the end of Sunday.
In Maui County, approximately 100 people were without power, but all major outages on Hawaii Island had been resolved.
Matthew Foster, a meteorologist in Hawaii, shared with the Associated Press that the most intense part of the storm seems to have passed.
As of Sunday afternoon, rain was shifting from widespread to more scattered showers across Oahu, Maui County, and Hawaii Island. Less than 5 inches of rain is anticipated on Hawaii Island, and around 1 to 2 inches elsewhere.
Foster noted that winds would intensify from the northeast side of the island, which typically has more vegetation and can better manage rainfall.
Moisture is expected to linger for several days, but drier weather typical for March is expected to arrive by Wednesday.
While Foster warned that further localized flooding could still occur, it wouldn’t be on as large a scale. Boil water advisories remain in effect from Mokuleia to Turtle Bay on the North Shore, and residents are urged to report any damage to city officials.
Gov. Josh Green has estimated that the storm’s damage might surpass $1 billion, affecting airports, schools, roads, homes, and Maui’s hospital in Kula.
There were earlier worries about the 120-year-old Wahiawa Dam potentially bursting, but those concerns have eased as water levels have decreased; however, monitoring continues.
The recent winter storm, dubbed the Kona Depression, is characterized by moist air brought in by southerly winds and has been the cause of persistent heavy rain over the past two weeks. Experts suggest that the increase in both intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall in Hawaii can be attributed to human-induced climate change.
