Record rain floods Islands
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| Lahaina resident Troy Richardson lost many household items, but was relieved to find his dog, Amy, unharmed.
Christie Wilson • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Advertiser Staff
A severe storm drenched the state yesterday, causing millions of dollars in flood damage on Maui and Lana'i and forcing Big Island officials to open three Red Cross shelters for stranded school children and residents.
Record rainfall was recorded in Honolulu; Hilo, Hawai'i; and Kahului, Maui yesterday. In a 24-hour period that ended at 2 p.m. yesterday, 14.65 inches of rain were recorded in Pahala on the Big Island, 6.03 inches on Lana'i City, and 5.1 inches at Lahainaluna on Maui, and 2.02 inches at the Honolulu Airport.
A flash-flood warning was in effect for the Hilo, Puna and Ka'u districts on the Big Island until 11 last night. O'ahu, Maui, Moloka'i, Lana'i and the rest of the Big Island were also under a flash-flood watch until 8 this morning.
The rain showers were expected to linger through today, but will slowly diminish tomorrow, said National Weather Service forecaster Robert Ballard. He said trade winds and better weather are expected to return tomorrow.
But the storm yesterday did leave major damage.
On Lana'i, up to 10 units in a luxury housing development on the Manele Golf Course suffered at least $2 million in damage, according to Maui County Civil Defense specialist Allan DeLima. The flooded homes were filled with 3 to 4 feet of water, forcing the evacuation of four families who found shelter at the Manele resort.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
On Moloka'i, flooding was reported at a home in Kapa'akea, and Kamehameha V Highway was closed.
Waikane farmer Richard Davis and daughter Tiana Kim-Davis walk near the part of a Waikane stream that Davis, his son, and his nephew cleared of debris yesterday. Davis has lived in the area all his life.
Nearly 4 inches of rain drenched Lahaina between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday, causing a tide of red-brown water to flow from the abandoned sugar cane fields above Lahaina town, into a drainage basin, over Honoapi'ilani Highway and into the yards and homes of Waine'e Street residents.
Civil Defense officials did not have an estimate of damage, but at least a half-dozen properties were damaged.
The same low-lying homes were inundated in a Jan. 20, 1997, storm, and residents yesterday were complaining that the county needed to do more to improve drainage in the area.
But Myles Inokuma, spokesman for Mayor James "Kimo" Apana, said there is little that can be done to stop the flooding.
"The problem is it's in a low-lying area and there's nowhere for the water to go," Inokuma said. "The land is almost at sea level and (the water) cannot go beyond that."
When he heard about the flooding, Troy Richardson rushed home from his job at a Wailea hotel, worried mainly about his yellow Labrador Amy, who had been left indoors because of the rain. Richardson, who just rented a home the old plantation neighborhood three months ago, found the dog stranded on a couch that was bobbing in several feet of water along with shoes, potted plants and a canoe paddle.
"She's the only one having fun," Richardson said.
The Richardsons spent the night at the hotel where Troy works.
The basements of the minister's house and temple at Lahaina Hongwanji Mission were flooded with almost two feet of water, damaging freezers, paper goods and other supplies.
The water from Waine'e Street flowed into Larry Mano's yard on Luakini Street, which is several feet lower than street level. His wooden home is raised off the ground and escaped flood damage, but his daughter Nakala Mano reports anxious moments as the waters began rising.
"Water was coming from everywhere," she said.
Maui Community College canceled classes at its Maui, Moloka'i and Lana'i campuses. Officials will assess the weather today to determine if classes would resume.
Pat St. John of the American Red Cross was knocking on doors to see if anyone needed shelter, but it looked like most of the flooded residents were staying put or had made other arrangements.
Flooding also was reported at a home on Kepola Place in Napili.
On the Big Island, two women were rescued from atop their stalled truck in a swollen North Hilo river yesterday morning.
Firefighter Christian Wong described the two as "trapped atop their truck in the middle of the river" after the vehicle stalled as they were attempting to cross a normally dry stream bed with 5 feet of water swirling around them.
Wong said he didn't think they would have survived in the water.
"An Olympic swimmer could not have gone against that current," he said. Wong described the women as "anxious but pretty calm."
Once the waters receded, the women returned to the scene to pull their stranded 1994 truck from the Weloka Stream.
Elsewhere on the Big Island a dozen roads were closed and three Red Cross shelters were opened to house stranded students and teachers in Puna and Ka'u.
For the second time in 15 months, Ka'u absorbed the brunt of rain showers. Two state highway bridges were damaged, and Civil Defense officials will not be able to determine the extent of the damage until the water recedes.
Police closed the Belt Road from the 40 to 62.5-mile markers, essentially stranding the former plantation town of Pahala.
All of East Hawai'i, including Hilo and Puna, were affected by the showers that began before dawn with strong thunder and lightning strikes.
Ka'u High and Pahala Elementary Principal Ronald Furukawa said nine staffers and four students were stranded and could not return home to Na'alehu.
Red Cross shelters were opened at Ka'u High, Na'alehu Elementary and Mountain View Elementary schools. Tourists also caught by flooding were expected to stay overnight there as well.
On O'ahu, five residents were left homeless after flood waters severely damaged their Waipahu home yesterday. The duplex home at 94-108 Hula St. suffered structural damage. The Red Cross was assisting the family with emergency shelter.
O'ahu Civil Defense acting administrator Wayne Jones said there were no other reports of major flooding or property damage yesterday. He said Manoa Stream did crest early yesterday morning, but the water receded and did not pose a problem.
On Kaua'i, the Hanalei River overflowed its banks Monday night, closing off travel west of Princeville. But the water dropped during the night.
The main problems included rocks, dirt and debris on roads, and streams choked with logs and branches. But there were no reports of serious damage.
Staff writers Curtis Lum, Christie Wilson, Hugh Clark and Jan TenBruggencate contributed to this report.
