Hawaii Faces Historic Flooding, Thousands Ordered to Evacuate
HONOLULU – Hawaii is grappling with its most severe flooding in over two decades, prompting evacuation orders for more than 5,500 residents, particularly in areas north of Honolulu. Officials are urging people in the hardest-hit regions to “LEAVE NOW” as a critical dam faces potential failure and access routes become increasingly precarious.
The 120-year-old Wahiawa Dam on the island of Oahu is at “risk of imminent failure,” according to the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the department, stated that over 4,000 people are directly within the dam’s evacuation zone, though that number could rise. “It could fail,” she warned.
Adding to the urgency, the only remaining road out of the town of Waialua is at “high risk of failure” if rainfall continues, the Emergency Management team posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Saturday afternoon.
The current crisis is compounded by a storm last week that saturated the ground, leaving it vulnerable to widespread flooding. Images circulating on social media show vast stretches of Oahu’s North Shore submerged, with homes and cars inundated by muddy floodwaters. Residents are seen assisting one another, with some attempting rescues, including one man filmed trying to save a neighbor’s cat.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green estimates the storm’s damage could reach $1 billion, impacting airports, schools, roads, homes, and even a hospital. “This is going to have a very serious consequence for us as a state,” Green said, adding that all non-emergency state employees have been sent home to allow families to prioritize safety.
The governor emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “With catastrophic flash flooding already impacting parts of Oahu, including evacuation orders on the North Shore and the potential for dam-related impacts, we are taking this situation extremely seriously.”
Residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency notifications through HNL Alert, Oahu’s emergency notification system. For media inquiries, Molly Pierce can be reached at [email protected] or (808) 723-8957.
