Hawaii Flood: Emergency declared flooding causes extensive damage, including bridge collapse

Governor David Ige signed the proclamation on Tuesday to release state funds to help people affected by the heavy rains and floods that hit all the islands, according to a post to Twitter.

At least half a dozen homes on the island of Maui have been reported to have been seriously damaged or destroyed. And two bridges in Wong’s Village, Oahu, collapsed when a cement truck passed over, according to a CNN affiliate KGMB. Residents say the floods from the stream below almost reached the road on the bridge when it gave way.

Maui resident Mark Alexander said he found himself watered to the chest in a matter of minutes at his home in Haiku. The family dog, Legend, was dragged through the water, but found a way to climb the roof of the house for safety, KGMB reported.

The floodwaters were so fierce that they knocked her daughter’s room off the foundation, Alexander said at the outlet, as he, with family and friends, began to get his feet of mud out of his home.

Officials order evacuations due to dangerous floods

The entire state is under flood surveillance until 6 am on Wednesday morning.

Maui’s mayor says houses and bridges have been severely damaged in the ongoing flood emergency in the community. “This was an unprecedented flood and we will be doing damage assessments today,” Mayor Michael Victorino said in a written statement on Tuesday.

On Monday, Victorino said that residents told him it was the worst flood they have seen in more than 25 years.

For a time, the authorities worried about the increase in water over the Kaupakalua dam in Haiku and ordered the downstream residents to be evacuated.

On Tuesday, a flash flood emergency was also issued to Haleiwa, on the north coast of Oahu, in Honolulu County, at 6:15 pm HST, according to the National Weather Service, and the community was ordered to evacuate.

“Catastrophic flooding of the Opaeula stream. Now evacuate from the city of Haleiwa,” the Honolulu County government said in an emergency warning Tuesday afternoon. “You are in danger. Go now.”

Oahu Emergency Management issued a flash flood alert that could lead to a catastrophic, life-threatening flood on Oahu by 9:30 pm on Wednesday and residents were warned to move to higher ground, according to a emergency alert issued by the city and county of Honolulu. County officials have identified short-term evacuation sites for residents affected by the floods on the North Shore.

“My warning to anyone who is watching is, please pay attention to this warning and evacuate. We do not make these kinds of orders capriciously, we do those with a purpose, they are the most serious ones,” said the mayor of the city and the county. Honolulu, Rick Blangiardi, at a video address on Tuesday.

Assessing the damage

Meanwhile, damage assessments in Maui also started on Tuesday.

“When you see flood damage in daylight, it is a reminder of the sheer power of fast-moving water,” said Victorino, who visited the flooded areas. “We are very fortunate that there are no reports of deaths or injuries. I want to publicly thank our first respondents who did heroic work in very dangerous conditions.”

The mayor said the flood destroyed the Peahi Bridge and, at the same time, electricity was cut off for more than 1,300 customers.

On Monday, Ana Paula DeCarlo told CNN that her family was stuck at home due to the destruction of the road. She recorded a video that shows the water running down the road that used to have a small stream underneath it.

“Yes, it’s like a bridge, small over a stream,” she said of the road. “It didn’t stop raining for a second. We are about 15 minutes from the dam.”

“This is our street now. We can’t go anywhere. The street is gone, gone! ”, She posted on Instagram.