Woke up this morning to the hardest rainstorm I have seen here in Waikiki. Oahu got between 8 and 14 inches today, a good tropical storm. A lot of our housing here is nothing more than shacks built to 1930's standards, and the news is full of people being flooded out.
I just had a cup of coffee and enjoyed the rain from my Lanai. At three stories up a block from the beach, it's no problem. It's a "once in ten years" tropical downpour.
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Flash flood warning over, but flood watch remains
Advertiser Staff
Heavy rains and gusty winds pummeled O'ahu today, flooding dozens of homes and roads, causing landslides and cutting power to thousands.
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A flash flood warning on Oahu was downgraded to a flash flood watch at about 4:30 p.m. today. A high wind advisory was cancelled.
Flooding has been reported islandwide, but hardest hits areas of O'ahu include Wahiawa, Wai'anae, Waialua, La'ie and Hau'ula.
The city has opened five emergency shelters — all on the North Shore or Wai'anae — for those displaced by flooding.
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to respond to dozens of reports of flooded homes, blown roofs and trapped drivers.
From 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. alone, firefighters responded to more than 120 calls for flooded homes or rescues, said John Cummings, spokesman for the city Department of Emergency Management.
Also, residents of Otake Camp — downstream of Lake Wilson reservoir — have been warned to prepare for evacuation. Officials said Lake Wilson showed a water level of 82.17 feet and rising at 9:30 a.m.
And in Wai'anae, a 15-year-old boy helped save his 62-year-old neighbor from flood waters that heavily damaged her home.
"He saved my life," said Linda Limpahan, who escaped with her 11-year-old daughter Malia Namanuu. "I knew I wouldn't make it. My legs were having spasms" while wading through floodwaters.
In the three-hour period ending at 8:45 a.m. today, more than seven inches of rain had fallen in Punalu'u and Poamoho, and nearly six inches of rain had fallen in Mililani and Waiawa.
The heavy rain started falling overnight on Kaua'i and O'ahu, and weather forecasters expect wet weather will stick around at least through the day.
But the rain let up a bit this afternoon, allowing crews to start cleaning up the mess left behind by the heavy rain and assessing the damage.
The wet weather was caused by a strong Kona low northwest of the state, the National Weather Service said. And some areas of the state got near-record rainfall.
"This is a pretty significant event," said John Bravender, weather service forecaster.
Bravender said at 7:30 a.m., a rain gauge in Kane'ohe showed rain was coming down at a rate of 3.12 inches an hour — something forecast to happen just once every 22 years.
A Poamoho rain gauge showed rain coming down at 3.84 inches an hour at 6:30 a.m., which forecasters predict happens just once every 31 years.
Until the rains let up, drivers are being asked to stay off the roads today.
Around the island, crews are responding to calls of flooded roadways and fallen branches in streets.
No serious injuries have been reported due to the bad weather so far, the city Department of Emergency Management said.
Early this morning city crews from the Department of Facility Maintenance were out with shovels and picks clearing ditches in Waialua, Cummings said.
Emergency management has activated all of it volunteers to go out into the community to assess the situation, including flooding and road conditions.
Police based in Wahiawa said that there were numerous stalled cars in their district, which runs from Wahiawa to Waialua to Sunset Beach.
Meanwhile, almost 14,000 on O'ahu remain without power in Nanakuli, Ma'ili, 'Ewa Beach, Ko Olina, Pauoa, Waimanalo, Kailua and Kane'ohe.
HECO trouble-shooting crews are working on restoring power to all areas.
The rains forced the closures of dozens of schools along with popular attractions, including Honolulu Zoo and city golf courses. |
