Updated at 7:45 p.m., Sunday, April 2, 2006
Families evacuated below Waimanalo reservoir
Advertiser Staff
Officials today evacuated 12 families whose homes are below a Waimanalo Reservoir because of concerns about rising water.State civil defense officials inspected the reservoir, known as Kailua Reservoir, and found the water level two feet above the spillway, said John Cummings, spokesman for O'ahu Civil Defense.
The reservoir is old and officials were worried about the possibility of it breaching, Cummings said. The evacuations took place about 4 p.m. After several hours, officials let residents back into their homes.
Waimanalo Recreation Center was opened for the displaced residents, Cummings said.
The National Weather Service extended a flash flood warning for O'ahu until 10:15 p.m.
At 4:24 p.m., weather service radar showed heavy rain along the Ko'olau Range, from Kahuku to Waimanalo. The area of heavy rain was nearly stationary, the weather service said.
Other areas covered by the warning included La'ie, Ka'a'wa, Kahalu'u and Kailua.
Kamehameha Highway between Sunset Beach Elementary School and Ke Waena Road is open only to local traffic, and only to vehicles with high clearance such and SUVs and trucks. Pu'ualoha and Kelewina streets in Maunawili were closed because of flooding.
Crews were cleaning up a landslide along Kalaniana'ole Highway in Maunawili.
The weather service also said a flash flood watch would be in effect until 4 a.m. Monday for all Hawaiian islands.
An upper-level trough over the state is producing moist and unstable conditions. The weather service said showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to occur.
Rainfall was extremely heavy in some areas. In the 24-hour period ending at 5 p.m., Wilson Tunnel received 8.89 inches of rain, Maunawili 7.28 inches, Poamoho 6.37 inches, Luluku 4.99 inches, Waiheçe 4.03 inches and çÄhuimanu 3.64 inches, the National Weather Service said.
