Hawaii suffers its worst flooding in 20 years and forecasters warn more rain is coming

Fooding covers a residential neighborhood in Waialua, Hawaii, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mengshin Lin) 2026-03-21T06:21:31Z HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii suffered its worst flooding in more than 20 years as heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago , officials said Friday while warning that still more rain was expected during the weekend. Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oahu’s North Shore , a community world-renowned for its big-wave surfing. Raging waters lifted homes and cars and prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu. Authorities cautioned that a 120-year-old dam could fail. Gov. Josh Green said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people’s homes and a Maui hospital in Kula. “This is going to have a very serious consequence for us as a state,” Green said at a news conference. Most of the state was under a flood watch, with Haleiwa and Waialua in northern Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service. Green said his chief of staff spoke to the White House and received assurances the islands would have federal support. Most serious flooding since 2004 No deaths were reported and no one was unaccounted for. About 10 people were taken to a hospital with hypothermia, he said. Crews searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded — efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu. The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults who had been attending a spring break youth camp at a retreat on Oahu’s west coast called Our Lady of Kea’au, according to city and camp officials. The camp is on high ground but authorities didn’t want to leave them there, the mayor said. Green said the flooding was the state’s most serious since 2004 floods in Manoa inundated homes and a Universit

原文链接: AP News