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March 2021 Hawaii floods

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March 2021 Hawaii floods
DateMarch 7 – 15, 2021
LocationAll of Hawaii
DeathsUnknown number killed, 1 missing[1]
Property damage$49 million[2]

The March 2021 Hawaii floods was a devastating series of floods that caused a tremendous amount of damage to the U.S state of Hawaii.[1] The heavy rain started on March 7, 2021, and flooded the Kaupakalua Dam.[3] It was reported that the dam flooded due to deficiencies, and as a result, it is set to be decommissioned this summer.[4] One person is currently missing from the floods, and at least a half dozen homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in the flooding, which also destroyed Peahi Bridge and heavily damaged Kaupakalua Bridge.[1] More than 1,300 customers in Haiku were without power at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday HST.[1]

Causes of the Flood

A strong low-pressure system fed by abundant moisture from the tropics fueled slow-moving storms that dropped inches of rain per hour in certain areas.[5] Extremely heavy rains came down on Hawaii starting March 7, and overflowed the Kaupakalua Dam.[3] More than 7.5 inches of rain fell in Haiku in the 24 hours ending at 8:45 a.m. March 10, according to the National Weather Service. More than 16 inches of rain fell near Keanae about 7 miles away in western Maui.[1] The floodwaters from the overflowing dam and the heavy rain caused other rivers and streams to overflow, adding to the problem.

Impact

Due to the scale of the floods, the Governor of Hawaii, David Ige, declared a state of emergency and ordered evacuations all over the state.[6][7] Flash Flood Warnings, watches, and advisories were also issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).[8] At least a half dozen homes were heavily damaged or destroyed in the flooding, which also destroyed Peahi Bridge, Hanalei Bridge, and heavily damaged Kaupakalua Bridge, and 1 person, carried away by floodwaters, is missing. Overtopping of the dam has now stopped, but the water level remains about 3 feet below the top of the dam.[1][9] All Maui island parks were closed because of flooding and heavy rains.[10] The Hana highway was also temporarily closed as it was overwhelmed by floodwaters.[11] Nearly 4000 residents of the Haleiwa town were asked to evacuate.[12] The Waiahole Stream, located above the Kamehameha Highway, reported flow rates of nearly 9,000 cubic feet per second. The previous record, obtained through 19 years of maintaining data, was set in 2012 and was 432 cubic feet per second. The typical flow is around 90 cubic feet per second — just 1 percent of what was observed on March 9.[12] 8,200 gallons of partially treated wastewater had spilled within the grounds of a local wastewater treatment plant and partly on the grounds of the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge.[13] Honolulu firefighters on Tuesday rescued a 27-year-old man after his truck was swept down a stream. He was found standing on the truck's roof. On Wednesday, they suspended another search for an individual a witness saw in a stream in Pearl City.[14] A major landslide occurred on March 11 near the Hanalei Hill, closing both lanes leading up to Hanalei Bridge.[15] A lightning storm left over 20,000 people without power in Kahala, Kapahulu, Palolo, Waikiki, Manoa, and Moiliili,[16] but the power was restored a few hours later.[17] Due to more heavy rain, the Kalihi stream began rising.[16] In response to the rising floodwaters, Kamehameha Highway was closed in both directions near Kualoa Regional Park.[16] Kamehameha Highway at the Waikane Bridge was also temporarily closed in both directions due to flooding, but was reopened an hour later.[16] Kuhio Highway was scheduled to be closed until March 15 due to a major landslide.[18] Kuhio Highway was the only road leading to the north shore.[18] There was a scheduled outage on Saturday, March 13, so that crews can complete repair work related to an outage that happened on Thursday, March 11.[19] In addition to the scheduled outage, the Department of Water (DOW) has issued a water conservation request for Hanalei customers on Saturday, March 13.[19]

Aftermath

Following the heavy rains and floods on Oahu, the Salvation Army scheduled outreach events in Haleiwa and Hauula to help impacted residents.[20] Eligible residents received disaster financial assistance, temporary housing assistance for those displaced by flooding, food, water and emotional and spiritual care.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Emergency Declared as Hawaii Flooding Forces Evacuations and Leaves One Missing". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  2. ^ Storm Events Database, NOAA
  3. ^ a b Jon Wesner Childs (March 11, 2021). "Evacuation Remains After Hawaii Dam Overflows; Homes and Bridges Damaged". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  4. ^ "Kaupakalua Dam in Process of Being Decommissioned; Slated for Removal this Summer". mauinow.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Torrential Rains Drench Hawaii". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 13 March 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hawaii governor declares state of emergency following major flooding". KSRO. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  7. ^ "Hawaii Floods March 2021: Causes, Relief Efforts, and More". Green Matters. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  8. ^ US Department of Commerce, NOAA. "Active Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Hawaii". www.weather.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  9. ^ "Heavy rains close Hanalei Bridge, produce flash floods warnings". thegardenisland.com. 10 March 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "March 7, 2021 Maui Flooding Update". Facebook. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  11. ^ "Maui Flooding Tops Dam, Forces Evacuations, Damages Homes". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Severe flash flooding triggers state of emergency in Hawaii". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  13. ^ Treisman, Rachel (10 March 2021). "Hawaii Flooding Prompts Emergency Declaration, Evacuations And Fears Of Dam Failure". NPR. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  14. ^ "Hawaii's Rains, Floods Cited as Examples of Climate Change". usnews.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  15. ^ "Major landslide cuts access to Kauai's north shore; flash flood watch in effect for all Hawaiian islands". staradvertiser.com. 11 March 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c d "Flood advisories extended for Oahu, Kauai; Kamehameha Highway remains closed by Kualoa Park". staradvertiser.com. 10 March 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "Watch: Honolulu Goes Dark After Lightning Strikes". March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Entire Hawaii Community Cut Off by Landslide". The Weather Channel. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Severe weather on Kauai prompts scheduled outage, water conservation request". khon2.com. 12 March 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Salvation Army hosts outreach events for Oahu flood victims". mauinewsnow.com. Retrieved March 15, 2021.

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