Severe flooding in Hawaii has caused more than $1 billion in damage and forced thousands of residents from their homes, as emergency crews continue searching for an elderly woman believed to have been swept away by fast-moving floodwaters.
Authorities on Saturday urged evacuations in some of the hardest-hit parts of Oahu and Maui, where torrential rain triggered the state’s most serious flooding in more than two decades. The deluge came after another winter storm drenched the islands a week earlier, leaving the ground saturated and unable to absorb more water.
The emergency response intensified after a 71-year-old woman was reported missing Saturday. Officials said she was last seen near an encampment along Iao Stream on Waiehu Beach Road, where she was trying to collect water with a basket before falling into the swollen waterway, according to the Maui Police Department.
Search teams have carried out extensive operations along the stream and nearby areas, while also deploying a helicopter and jet skis for air and ocean searches. So far, they have not found the woman, and the search remains active.
Gov. Josh Green said the destruction across both the public and private sectors is expected to exceed $1 billion. A statewide flood watch remains in effect through Sunday as officials monitor the ongoing threat.
Meanwhile, Governor Josh Green estimated that the damage to both public and private sectors will cost over $1 billion, as a statewide flood watch remains in effect through Sunday.
‘You can see the flood levels are significant. We’ll have over $1 billion of damage, it appears,’ he told CNN on Saturday.
‘We’ve had 40 to 50 inches of rain, the largest flood that we’ve had in 20 years. This has been going on for about 11 days. We did have two terrible injuries that resulted in spinal cord injuries. One hospital went down and has been wiped out on Maui.’
Crews are searching for a missing 71-year-old who allegedly fell into an inundated stream on Saturday as officials urged people in hard-hit areas across Oahu (pictured) and Maui to evacuate
Hawaii Governor Josh Green estimated that the damage to both public and private sectors will cost over $1 billion
He added, ‘We’ve had 236 people get rescued. We had a whole camp that had to be rescued. This is spring break for the public schools, and people were isolated and trapped in certain areas. There were people that were on rooftops.’
At a Friday press conference, Green explained the $1 billion estimate includes ‘damage to the airports, a major hospital that’s been damaged on Maui.’
He added, ‘Lots of damage at schools, roads, and then of course, the innumerable events that have happened at people’s homes where they’ve lost structure and it will have to be repaired.’
Authorities have also warned that the Wahiawa Dam on Oahu was at risk of failure, prompting urgent evacuation orders for communities downstream in Haleiwa and Waialua on the island’s North Shore.
According to the National Weather Service, most of Hawaii will remain under a flood watch through Sunday afternoon. This includes the islands of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe and the Big Island.
Hollywood star Jason Momoa was among thousands of Hawaiians forced to flee as a powerful storm battered the islands, causing dangerous, potentially fatal flooding.
Momoa took to Instagram and revealed he fled the North Shore after losing power and was with his family.
‘We’re safe now, but there’s a lot of people who weren’t, so sending all our love,’ he said.
According to the National Weather Service, most of Hawaii will remain under a flood watch through Sunday afternoon. Pictured: a washed out road on Oahu on Saturday
The flooding was caused by heavy rainfalls on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago. Pictured: flooded vehicles in Waialua on Saturday
The Aquaman actor also shared footage of flooding near his father’s home, calling the destruction ‘crazy’ and pleading with his followers to stay safe.
Momoa said the dangerous weather forced him to cancel a music event planned for the weekend.
The actor, who was born in Honolulu, posted on Instagram ahead of the weekend that the past weeks had been ‘heavy’ for his home state.
‘The storms, the flooding, the constant rain across Oahu have affected so many of our people, especially those already facing hardship,’ Momoa said.
‘Seeing families displaced, communities struggling, and our unhoused neighbors hit the hardest…’
Momoa encouraged locals to check in on neighbors ahead of the dangerous next few days.
‘That’s what aloha is,’ Momoa wrote. ‘It’s showing up for each other when it matters most.’
