See: Oʻahu's North Shore Flooded As Wahiawā Dam Failure Possible

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The low-lying areas of Haleʻiwa, Waialua and Mokulēʻia on the North Shore of Oʻahu were overwhelmed by catastrophic flooding early on Friday morning, prompting county alerts to residents to evacuate or move to higher ground.

“If you are trapped, go to the highest level,” the Honolulu emergency department wrote in an emergency alert at 3:42 a.m. “Stay out of attics without a way to the roof.” An emergency shelter was opened at Waialua High and Intermediate School and running on generators.

Just before 8 a.m., the National Weather Service extended a flash flood emergency warning to the northern half of Oʻahu, emphasizing that even with rains subsiding some, runoff continues and more rain is on the way.

The county urged residents to avoid rushing water that could sweep them away and advised reserving 911 only for life threatening emergencies. Saturated ground and more severe than expected overnight rainfall were the culprits.

Flash flooding came on quickly. The county’s alerts urged the community to evacuate Haleʻiwa and Waialua immediately, in the middle of the night, but it’s unclear how passable roads were even then. Videos on social media show homes, cars and roads inundated with fast-moving floodwater.

Racquel Achiu, a member of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, said she couldn’t believe what was happening at her Waialua farm, with water rising so quickly, over the course of an hour.

Sirens were going off. Her family was in the dark, without electricity, and water was “chest high” in her pasture, she said, where she waded out to save livestock from drowning.

“We are completely cut off,” she said in a text to Civil Beat early Friday morning. “Can’t see a damn thing… It’s so bad.”