The entire state of Hawaii was under a flash flood on Tuesday morning after heavy rainfall flooded a dam and forced people to evacuate their homes for fear of rapidly rising waters and landslides.
“Deep moisture will remain across the state tonight,” the Honolulu National Weather Service warned early Tuesday morning.
The site was already saturated on Monday with heavy rainfall that caused the Kaupakalua Dam to overflow on the island of Maui. The Weather Service said Tuesday that the dam could possibly fail.
Maui officials on Monday thought the dam had failed, but later said it did not suffer structural damage. Still, those in Haiku near Kaupakalua Dam and Kaupakalua Road were ordered to evacuate, according to Facebook reports on the County of Maui page.
Water levels were above normal, about 3 feet below the top of the dam, a report on the County of Maui page said Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. local time.
According to the NBC subsidiary KHNL, the dam could hold 68 million liters of water.
Residents in the area were told not to return. “People near heavy currents should also evacuate or seek higher ground,” Maui Province said. “Even if there appears to be less rainfall and conditions improve, people should not return to the area until there is a ‘clear’ announcement.”
One evacuation shelter remained open from Tuesday morning.
Officials said the floodwaters destroyed the Peahi Bridge and severely damaged the Kaupakalua Bridge in Haiku. At least six homes were severely damaged or destroyed.
The Maui Fire Department reported responding to more than a dozen calls from residents trapped by rising waters.
“There have been unprecedented floods, and we will do damage assessments today,” said Maui Mayor Michael Victorino. “I ask everyone to be vigilant and safe.”
While some roads closed Monday reopened, other shutters remain, according to the Maui Police Department. And a power outage early in the morning affected more than 1,300 customers.
“This is a real flood situation that we have not seen for a long time,” Victorino said on Monday during a live Facebook address. “Some residents have told me it’s the worst they’ve seen in more than 25 years.”
‘If you have family and friends and you can come from the area, it’s probably preferable. “But be careful when you see high water, turn around and go back,” Victorino said. “Do not try to cross it at the moment.”
He also urged tourists to stay in their hotel rooms or other accommodations and not go out on Monday nights.
The Weather Service warned residents to expect mudslides in steep terrain.
A dam failure in Hawaii became fatal in 2006, when seven people died after the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed.
But East Maui residents say they last saw rain years like the downpour.
“I have lived here for thirty years and I think this is the first time I have seen so much rain,” Lydia Toccafondi Panzik, a resident of Makawao, told KHNL. “I saw hurricane times, floods, but it was really bad.”
The Associated Press contributed.