The recent historic flooding in Hawaii has left a staggering trail of destruction, with damages exceeding $1 billion. In the wake of this natural disaster, search and rescue teams are urgently trying to locate an elderly woman who was swept away by the powerful currents.

This catastrophic event has prompted officials to urge residents in severely affected areas of Oahu and Maui to evacuate. The torrential rains, which have resulted in the state’s most severe flooding incident in over two decades, came on the heels of a winter storm that had already saturated the ground.

Among the most pressing concerns is the search for a 71-year-old woman who was last seen on Saturday. Reports indicate she fell into a swollen stream near an encampment on Waiehu Beach Road while attempting to gather water with a basket, according to the Maui Police Department.

Search operations have been extensive, with teams scouring the riverbanks and surrounding regions. Aerial and maritime searches utilizing helicopters and jet skis have also been deployed, yet the woman remains missing as efforts continue.

In parallel to the search efforts, Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green has assessed the financial impact of the flooding. He estimates the damages, affecting both public infrastructure and private properties, will surpass $1 billion. With a statewide flood watch still active through Sunday, the state remains on high alert as it grapples with the aftermath of this devastating event.

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.’

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.

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.’