The entire state of Hawaii was under surveillance from a flash flood on Tuesday morning, after heavy rain overflowed a dam and forced people to evacuate their homes for fear of rapid rising waters and landslides.
“Deep humidity will remain over the state until tonight,” warned the Honolulu-based National Weather Service on Tuesday morning.
The land was already saturated with heavy rains on Monday, which caused the Kaupakalua dam on the island of Maui to overflow. The Meteorological Service said on Tuesday that the dam could rupture.
Maui officials on Monday thought the dam had breached, but later said it did not suffer structural damage. Still, those in Haiku near the Kaupakalua Dam and the Kaupakalua Road were forced to evacuate, according to Facebook posts on the Maui County page.
Water levels were above normal, about 3 feet below the top of the dam, a post on the Maui County page said at about 8:30 am local time on Tuesday.
The dam could hold 68 million gallons of water, according to NBC affiliate KHNL.
Nearby residents were warned not to return. “People near high flow streams should also evacuate or look for higher areas,” said Maui County outposts. “Even though it appears that there is less rainfall and conditions are improving, people should not return to the area until there is an ‘all clear’ announcement.”
An evacuation shelter remained open Tuesday morning.
Officials said the floodwaters destroyed the Peahi Bridge and severely damaged the Kaupakalua Bridge in Haiku. At least six houses were heavily damaged or destroyed.
The Maui Fire Department reported responding to more than a dozen calls from residents who were trapped by rising water.
“This was an unprecedented flood and we will be doing damage assessments today,” said Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino. “I ask everyone to be vigilant and safe.”
While some roads that were closed on Monday were reopened, others remain closed, according to the Maui Police Department. And a power outage at dawn affected more than 1,300 customers.
“This is a real flood situation that we haven’t seen in a long time,” said Victorino on Monday during a live speech on Facebook. “Some of the residents have told me that this is the worst they have seen in over 25 years.”
“If you have family and friends and can leave the area, it is probably preferable. But be careful if you see high tide, turn around and come back, ”said Victorino. “Don’t try to cross it at this point.”
He also asked tourists to stay in their hotel rooms or other accommodation and not to leave on Monday night.
The Meteorological Service has warned residents to expect landslides on steep terrain.
A dam collapse was fatal in Hawaii in 2006, when seven people died after the Ka Loko dam collapsed on the island of Kauai.
But East Maui residents say they haven’t seen rain like Monday’s for years.
“I have lived here for 30 years and I think this is the first time I have seen so much rain,” Makawao resident Lydia Toccafondi Panzik told KHNL. “I’ve seen hurricane times, I’ve seen floods, but this was really bad.”
The Associated Press contributed.