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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 3:23 p.m., Friday, November 21, 2008

Rock slide closes Waimea Valley; Oahu flash flood watch still on

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Several large boulders, including one the size of a minivan, rumbled down into Waimea Valley this morning, closing the park for this weekend's Makahiki Celebrations.

"It's been raining on and off for a while and the soil is soft for the valley," said Gail Chew, the valley's interim executive director. "The land was softened and the rocks fell down."

The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for all islands through 4 a.m. Sunday.

The rock slide occurred around 6 a.m. on the main road leading into the valley, just past the security gate, Chew said. The valley will be closed until the debris is cleared, which will depend on a report by an environmental assessment company that reviewed the damage today, Chew said.

Some security guards and two gardeners were on duty this morning when seven to 10 large boulders and several smaller ones fell from the hillside next to the road that leads into the valley, Chew said.

The rock slide at Waimea Valley forced the cancellation of the Makahiki Celebrations, a weekend that was supposed to feature artisans, crafts, hula and a Saturday night concert by Na Leo Pilimehana.

The rock slide was the only report of damage so far from a storm that's expected to soak the state this weekend.

Light rain fell for most of the day on Kaua'i but there have been no reports of flooding or road closures, county spokeswoman Mary Daubert said.

"We're just kind of in wait-and-see mode," Daubert said. "We're ready to take action if need be."

State Civil Defense spokesman Ray Lovell said, "It's been raining steadily on Kaua'i but they have not gotten any hard rains yet. There are no reports of any flooding yet and we hope it stays that way."

In the meantime, state civil defense officials have put an immediate response team and preliminary damage assessment team on standby "in the event we have to activate them," Lovell said.

"It's mostly putting all the ducks in a row in case we have to respond," Lovell said, "making sure all the vehicles are gassed and we have all the supplies we need."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.