Heavy rains cause landslides, road damage in East Maui
Multiple sections of Piilani Highway closed, flood advisory issued for island
Heavy rains on Sunday and Monday in East Maui stranded a woman in her vehicle and caused landslides and road damage along Piilani Highway, with some areas still closed as of Monday afternoon, county officials said.
The Maui Police Department said a woman called dispatch around 1:13 a.m. Monday to report she was safe in her vehicle but unable to get out of an area along Piilani Highway between a landslide at Mile Marker 19 in Kahikinui and an overflowing river.
The woman made contact with the Maui Fire Department around 7:36 a.m. Monday. Fire officials said the woman was fine and got through the road that was just partially blocked, according to police.
The woman stayed in contact with police dispatch as she remained safe in her vehicle, police said.
Heavy rain and wind pounded areas in East Maui beginning Sunday afternoon into Monday morning, said Jonathan Starr, who resides in Kalepa, between Kaupo and Kipahulu.
“It was absolutely pouring,” Starr said Monday afternoon of the unusually heavy May rains. “It was pouring so hard, you could not see 20 feet.”
From Sunday evening into early Monday morning “it was solid lightning,” and “the thunder was so loud,” said Starr, estimating that there were no more than 30 seconds between the lightning and thunder.
“It sat on top of us for hours,” he said.
In a 24-hour period ending at 2 p.m. Monday, the West Wailuaiki rain gauge in East Maui recorded 7.97 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service. The next-highest total was 5.64 inches at the Puu Kukui gauge in the West
Maui Mountains, followed by 2.35 inches at the Kepuni gauge in East Maui and 2.23 inches falling at Hana Airport.
The county reported landslides and road damage closing multiple sections of Piilani Highway between Mile Marker 19 just past the Auwahi Wind turbines in the vicinity of Ulupalakua and Mile Marker 39 at the Lelekea culvert crossing in Kipahulu.
Department of Public Works crews were responding to the areas on Monday, but the county said the affected roadways will remain closed until further notice.
Other road closures may be necessary and may be extended as the Public Works Department receives reports of several significant and additional damage and washouts along the highway, the county said Monday afternoon.
Road closure signs have been posted in Hana town and at the Lelekea culvert crossing, the county said.
Signs also have been set up in Ulupalakua town and at the Auwahi Wind turbine turnout.
A flood advisory was in effect for Maui island until 10:30 p.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Radar shortly before 9 p.m. showed that showers were diminishing in intensity and coverage over windward Maui.
The weather forecast for the Kaupo area
today includes scattered showers, with partly sunny skies and an east-northeast wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. The chance of rain is 40 percent, with half to three-quarters of an inch of rainfall possible.
The weather forecast for Kahului today also predicts scattered showers with partly
sunny skies. A northeast wind of around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph, is expected. The chance of rain is 30 percent with less than a tenth of an inch possible.