Hawaii flooding forces 5,500 evacuations as 120-year-old dam fears grow

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Residents were filmed evacuating as floodwaters partially submerged a nearby car and trailer after heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Friday, March 20. (Credit: Bruno Lemos - @lemosimages via Storyful

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HONOLULU - As Hawaii faces its worst flooding in more than two decades, officials are urging residents in the hardest-hit areas to evacuate immediately, warning "leave now" after heavy rains soaked already saturated ground from a storm the week prior, with more rain expected through the weekend.

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Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oahu's North Shore, a community world-renowned for its big-wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Authorities cautioned that a 120-year-old dam could fail. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning early Saturday with light to moderate showers expected to turn heavy in some places.

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.

"Residents in the Waialua area are strongly urged to LEAVE NOW," an emergency alert said early Saturday. "The remaining access road out of Waialua is at high risk of failure if rainfall continues."

Water rushes over Hawaii dam amid excessive rain

Strong water rushed over the Wahiawa Dam on Friday, March 20, after heavy rains flooded parts of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. (Credit: Ben Cordero via Storyful)

No deaths were reported and no one was unaccounted for. More than 200 people have been rescued, officials said. About 10 people were taken to a hospital with hypothermia, he said.

Crews searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded — efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu.

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’s west coast called Our Lady of Kea’au, according to city and camp officials. The camp is on high ground but authorities didn’t want to leave them there, the mayor said.

Dozens — if not hundreds — of homes were damaged Friday but officials haven't been able to fully assess the destruction, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. Some 5,500 people were under evacuation orders.

What they're saying:

Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people's homes and a Maui hospital in Kula.

"This is going to have a very serious consequence for us as a state," Green said at a news conference.

Green said his chief of staff spoke to the White House and received assurances the islands would have federal support.

Green said the flooding was the state's most serious since 2004 floods in Manoa inundated homes and a University of Hawaii library.

"There’s no question that the damage done thus far has been catastrophic," he said.

Big picture view:

Officials have been closely watching the Wahiawa dam, which has been vulnerable for decades, saying it was "at risk of imminent failure."

Water levels in the dam — about 17 miles northwest of Honolulu, on the island of Oahu — receded by late Friday but that could change if more rain falls.

Overnight into Friday, the dam went from 79 feet to 84 feet — just 6 feet shy of what it can handle, authorities said. After peaking at more than 85 feet, the water level had dropped by early Saturday to 81.5 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The backstory:

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’s agreement to repair the spillway to meet and maintain dam safety standards.

The state passed legislation in 2023 authorizing the dam’s 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.

"The dam continues to operate as designed with no indications of damage," Dole said in an emailed statement.

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.