HALE'IWA — When Ron and Donna Peiler saw the water coming Thursday, they knew they had to run for it.

Paukauila Stream was out of its banks and heading for their home on Waialua Beach Road.

"We had time to grab a few things," Donna said yesterday, standing among the mud and debris of her yard. "Ron was yelling 'Get out! Get out!'"

Donna is petite, and the water was over her head in places. "I had to hop, just hop through it, to keep my head above water."

Ron Peiler, a retired Navy veteran, said that when they got to their truck the water was up to the running boards, but he was able to start the engine and drive to safety. "There was no time," he said. "It came as a surge."

Mayor Mufi Hannemann yesterday signed an emergency declaration after inspecting areas hit hardest by Thursday's storm.

The city said the declaration provides a mechanism to grant partial property tax refunds to eligible homeowners and waive building permit fees to speed up repairs. The declaration is also the first step in requesting additional disaster relief from the state and federal governments.

An early, rough estimate indicated at least 150 O'ahu homes were damaged Thursday, with 42 suffering major damage or being destroyed, state Civil Defense spokesman Ray Lovell said last night.

He said about 20 people from the state and city Civil Defense agencies and the Red Cross spread out over O'ahu yesterday counting damaged homes. Four teams will be out today. Lovell expected the estimate of damaged homes and businesses to increase.

The Peilers have rented their home for 15 years. They have no insurance.

When they returned after the flood subsided they found their house had been washed off its foundation and moved about 50 feet.

"We lost a lot, my wife and I," Ron said, showing reporters and city officials how far the house moved. "So did the neighbors."

There wasn't much anybody could do right then, but Hannemann stepped forward and gave them a hug.

He told them the city would ask for federal aid to help flood victims. "I appreciate it, sir," Ron said. "Thank you, thank you very much."

Another home across the muddy street had been washed off its foundation as well. A basket of blooming petunias hung at a crazy angle off the front porch, a muddy crushed Christmas wreath lay in the yard and the utility lines hung low and torn.

DAMAGE ESTIMATES

The mayor and city and state officials yesterday visited areas of the North Shore, Waipahu, the Wai'anae coast and elsewhere that were hit hard by Thursday's storm, which dumped as much as 14 inches of rain on O'ahu in about 12 hours.

Hannemann told residents that the city was trying to quickly estimate damage so federal aid could be sought.

"I wanted to do this Friday," he said, "but I didn't want to get in the way of the first responders."

The city asked residents to separate their debris into four categories to speed pickup from the curb fronting their property: