Hawaii officials continue to urge people in hard-hit areas to evacuate due to the worst flooding the state has seen in over 20 years. More than 2,000 people remain without power after the weekend’s heavy rains from a winter storm last week. Raging waters lifted homes and cars, causing an expected $1 billion in damages, including damages to airports, schools, roads, homes and a Maui hospital in Kula.
The storm prompted evaluation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu, according to AP News. More than 200 people were rescued from the rising waters. No deaths have been reported as of March 22, as stated by Molly Pierce, spokesperson for Oahu’s Department of Emergency Management on Sunday.
Evacuation warnings were lifted for most zones in Maui on Sunday, after cities like Lahaina and Kahului received their wettest month with a record breaking 20 inches of rain.
Crews continue to assess the damage and make repairs. Hawaiian Electric expects to return power to more people affected by the storm as the week progresses. The worst of the storms appear to be over, according to Hawaii meteorologist Matthew Foster.
Winds will continue to pick up out of the northeast sides of the islands, however the land there has more vegetation and can handle more rain, Foster told AP News. It will take a few days for the moisture to push past the islands, and drier and more typical March weather can be expected later in the week. Foster noted additional flooding could still occur, but on a more isolated scale.
Winter storm systems known as “Kona lows,” have been responsible for the harsh rain storms appearing the past two weeks. The intensity and frequency of heavy rains in Hawaii have increased amid human-caused global warming, experts say.
