KANE'OHE — The continuing threats of heavy rain across the Islands delivered few fresh flooding-related problems yesterday, but O'ahu's hard-hit Windward Coast residents continued to take measures to protect their properties.

And with the National Weather Service's forecast calling for rain into the weekend and a new system hitting the Islands next week, emergency workers also are poised to take action.

"This whole area is still one big wet sponge," said John Cummings, plans and operations officer for the O'ahu Civil Defense Agency.

"Any additional rain for any extended period is going to cause problems. Until we have a couple of weeks of solid dry weather, this could turn on us very quickly. You'd be back into road closures, back into the landslides."

The O'ahu Civil Defense Agency shut down its emergency center but will be on standby for quick reactivation if necessary, Cummings said. State Civil Defense will operate its center through the weekend.

On Kaua'i, Kuhio Highway at the Hanalei Bridge was closed for most of yesterday morning because of flooding from the neighboring taro fields, but it was reopened at midday. There were reports of minor flooding in Koloa and other parts of the island as showers advanced. By late afternoon, flood warnings for Kaua'i and Ni'ihau were dropped.

On Thursday evening, Kaua'i firefighters rescued a motorist trapped by a landslide on Kou Road in Hanapepe Valley. Kaua'i County public information officer Mary Daubert said the rain-soaked cliffside collapsed on the car, trapping an unidentified man inside. Firefighters extricated him, and he was treated for minor injuries at Kaua'i Veterans Memorial Hospital.

Dozens of O'ahu's Windward residents yesterday morning waited at sandbag distribution centers at Kualoa Ranch and the Ohana Family of the Living God Church in Hau'ula. They said the previous night's rain had not affected them, but reports of continuing rain left them feeling cautious.

"The water was within two inches of coming into my garage," said Jeff Chasteen, of Ka'a'awa. It stood 18 inches deep in his yard, and if it had come into the garage,it would have flooded an attached dwelling, he said.

Aides to City Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz, 2nd (Wahiawa, North Shore, 'Ahuimanu), were at both distribution sites, dropping off sandbags and helping to fill them. More than 2,000 bags were distributed Thursday, and an additional 2,500 were expected to be given away yesterday, said Grant Kawaguchi, aide to Dela Cruz.

In Hau'ula, several volunteers also pitched in. Hau'ula resident Clarence Ahnee, 28, said people picked up several hundred sandbags during the morning and were delivering them to friends and relatives. But Ahnee worried that some residents weren't using the bags properly.

"People are trying to build a dam where it's only supposed to be used to contraflow the water," he said, adding that many who needed bags couldn't get them because they had no cars.

Just down the road, the Salvation Army on Thursday afternoon had opened a food distribution center in the Hauula Kai Center at Tamura's Market. By yesterday afternoon, about 25 people had trickled in, said spokesman Daniel de Castro. Today, the center will be moved to Kualoa Ranch, where the city and the state will be operating a Disaster Assistance and Recovery Center. Both centers at the site will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Brigham Young University-Hawai'i Thursday, which served 18 people from three families, said Duane Roberts, BYUH spokesman. He said the roof collapsed at the home of one of the families displaced by flooding. The shelter, in the old gym, can provide shelter for some 50 families. It was stocked yesterday with bedding, blankets, pillows, a television, games and food.

At Otake Camp in Waialua, Civil Defense officials Thursday morning warned area residents of possible overflow problems at Lake Wilson Dam and Waiawa Stream. But by Thursday night and yesterday, water levels dropped and there was no stream blockage, Cummings said.

State Civil Defense officials spent much of yesterday conducting cleanups and assessments, said spokesman Ray Lovell. City and state crews and the Hawai'i National Guard also continued cleanup efforts.

"Part of what's happening is to double-check these places because we need to find what needs to be done for remediation," Lovell said, adding that keeping stream beds clear would help prevent some of the problems.

Kahana Valley State Park and Malaekahana State Park, which were closed Thursday and yesterday, will open today, but no camping permits will be issued on Kaua'i. The Polihale and Kalalau trails will be closed, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Kurt Tsue, spokesman for the state Department of Health, said warning signs about sewage spills will remain posted.

The city is measuring bacteria levels in affected waters daily, and since Wednesday, the numbers have not improved although they are dramatically lower than initial counts, Tsue said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.