Hawaiʻi Storm Update: $1B In Damage; No Deaths Reported

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State and county officials are urging people to remain vigilant about storm risks as the state faces its second Kona low in a week.

Even as rainfall lessened for some parts of Oʻahu on Friday afternoon, state and county leaders warned residents to stay vigilant of flood risks and heavy rain through the weekend. So far, Green said the state has recorded no injuries or deaths associated with the storm and will remain under flood watch until Sunday evening.

“This is a serious storm,” Gov. Josh Green said. “The storm is not over.”

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services rescued dozens of people from Waialua and Wahiawā early Friday morning, as well as from a mental health hospital under the Queen’s Medical Center in ʻEwa Beach facing a flood risk later in the day, said Public Information Officer Shayne Enright in an emailed statement. More than 230 people in total were pulled out of treacherous conditions, the mayor said.

Already, some parts of Oʻahu have already seen 10 or more inches of rain, Green said on Friday evening. The island is expecting another 6 to 8 inches of rain in the next few days.

State officials have warned that the dam could flood for years, since the structure is not up to current safety standards. But the dam’s owner, Dole Food Co., has argued it doesn’t have enough money to fix it.

During Friday’s press conference, Tony Koyamatsu from the Department of Land and Natural Resource’s Dam Safety Division said the department tested 122 dams in the state in recent weeks, with all of the structures operating “as designed.” Some dam operators opted to lower their levels in response to the incoming storm, Koyamatsu said, but he did not say if Dole was one of the owners that chose to do so.

The department has also tested emergency action plans with dam owners in the past year, he said.