The images coming out of Oahu this week look like they belong to a different country. Homes lifted off foundations. Cars submerged to their rooflines. Muddy water flowing through neighborhoods that had never flooded before. Hawaii is experiencing its worst flooding event in two decades, and the damage estimates are already staggering.
Governor Josh Green said the cost could top $1 billion. Airports, schools, roads, homes, and a hospital in Kula on Maui have all sustained significant damage. Parts of Oahu received between 8 and 12 inches of rain — roughly a third of what the area normally gets in an entire year — compressed into a period of hours.
The trigger was a Kona low, a type of storm system common to the Hawaiian islands that draws moist subtropical air northward and stalls it over the island chain. This particular Kona low arrived as the second significant storm in a week, meaning the ground was already saturated before the flooding began. There was nowhere for the water to go.
“This particular Kona low arrived as the second significant storm in a week, meaning the ground was already saturated before the flooding began.”
More than 5,500 people were under evacuation orders at the peak of the event. Over 200 were rescued from rising waters. The most dramatic rescue involved 72 children and adults who had been attending a spring break youth camp at a retreat called Our Lady of Kea'au on Oahu's west coast. The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted them out by helicopter.
Key Takeaways
- Hawaii: The flooding caused an estimated $1 billion in damage, with parts of Oahu receiving 8-12 inches of rain in hours, forcing 5,500 evacuations and over 200 water rescues.
- Flooding: The flooding caused an estimated $1 billion in damage, with parts of Oahu receiving 8-12 inches of rain in hours, forcing 5,500 evacuations and over 200 water rescues.
- Weather: The flooding caused an estimated $1 billion in damage, with parts of Oahu receiving 8-12 inches of rain in hours, forcing 5,500 evacuations and over 200 water rescues.
- Oahu: The flooding caused an estimated $1 billion in damage, with parts of Oahu receiving 8-12 inches of rain in hours, forcing 5,500 evacuations and over 200 water rescues.
No deaths have been reported, and no one is unaccounted for. Given the severity of the flooding, that is a genuinely remarkable outcome — a testament to early warnings, first responder preparedness, and the decision to issue evacuation orders before the situation became unsurvivable.
A 120-year-old dam also threatened to fail under the water pressure. As of Sunday, it was holding, but authorities had pre-positioned downstream evacuations as a precaution.
More rain was forecast through the weekend. A statewide flood watch extended through Sunday afternoon, with Molokai receiving its own evacuation warnings as the storm system moved east across the island chain.
For a state that markets itself as paradise — and generally delivers on that promise — weeks like this are a reminder that paradise has weather too, and that weather is getting more extreme.
