Town North of Honolulu Evacuated as Stream Floods
The move came after a dam overflowed on the island of Maui, forcing evacuations and destroying homes, with the dam’s “unsatisfactory” condition leading to it being scheduled for removal this year, the land department has said.
“The emergency proclamation makes state general funds available that can be used quickly and efficiently to help those impacted by the severe weather,” Ige said on Tuesday.
Poor weather was expected to run until Friday, he added, and flood advisories stayed in place for a second day
The emergency declaration covers the counties of Hawai’i, Maui, Kalawao, O’ahu and Kaua’i, the governor’s office said in a statement, while the disaster relief period runs until May 8.
The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management directed people to leave Haleiwa, a community of a few thousand people to the north of state capital Honolulu.
Hawaii News Now reported that two people were swept away in raging waters on Tuesday. One of them, a 27-year-old man, was rescued by authorities. A search for the other would resume on Wednesday, according to the report.
There were no other immediate reports of injuries or casualties.
In Maui, heavy rains damaged roads, leaving them impassable, with one bridge completely washed out and another displaced, the governor’s office said.
State emergency management officials had said the rains led to the cresting of the Kaupakalua dam in the northern region of Haiku, prompting authorities to open evacuation shelters and urge people not to return home.
Six homes were heavily damaged or destroyed, said Maui mayor Michael Victorino.
About the photo: A home on Kahekili Highway near the Waihee River Bridge, was evacuated after a flash flood breached the property on Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 12, 2018, in Maui, Hawaii. Maui County says several homes on Maui are being evacuated because of floodwaters from Tropical Storm Olivia. (Cindy Ellen Russell/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)