Residents evacuated after officials feared dam breach
Heavy rains prompted evacuations over fears that a dam might breach on the Hawaiian island of Maui and officials asked people to not to return to their homes on Tuesday because flood advisories were still in effect.
Officials initially thought that the Kaupakalua Dam in the community of Haiku was breached by flood waters, “but after closer inspection, county officials determined there was no structural damage,” said a statement from Maui County late Monday.
The National Weather Service reported that 13.2 inches of rain fell in the Haiku area of Maui’s north coast between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday. Maui and all of Hawaii’s islands are under a flash flood watch amid heavy rains expected to last through Tuesday.
About six homes on Maui were heavily damaged or destroyed, Maui
County Mayor Michael Victorino’s office said late Monday. He urged people to be vigilant because there were fears that landslides could happen.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a real flooding situation we have not seen in a long time. In fact, some of the residents have told
me that this is the worst they’ve seen in over 25 years,” Victorino said on Facebook.
The Maui Fire Department said it responded to more than a dozen calls for help from residents trapped by rising waters.
Water flowed over the top of the dam’s reservoir, but the dam itself did not fail, said Shan Tsutsui, the chief operating officer of Mahi Pono, a co-owner of the dam.
“At this time, the overtopping of the dam has ceased. However, our crews are actively monitoring the situation and will continue monitoring the water levels until it returns to a safe level,” Tsutsui said in a statement.
He urged anyone who needed to shelter to go to evacuation centers that were set up at a high school and at a community center.
“If you have family and friends and you can get out of the area, that is probably preferable. But be careful if you see high water, turn around and go back,” Victorino said. “Do not try to cross it at this time.”
He also urged tourists to stay in their hotel rooms or wherever they were staying.
Maui County spokesman Brian Perry said he did not know how many people lived downstream of the dam.