Hawaii orders evacuation due to floods, declares emergency

Hawai Governor David Ige declared an emergency in the state due to flood, landslide and fear of dam failures caused by heavy rainfall. The authorities have ordered the evacuation of several thousand people from communities due to the fear of rising water.

The order has been made after a dam overflowed on the island of Maui, forcing clearance of the place and destruction of houses. The land department said, the dam’s “unsatisfactory” condition leading to its removal is scheduled for this year.

Ige said on Tuesday, “the emergency proclamation makes state general funds available that can be used quickly and efficiently to help those impacted by the severe weather.”  He added bad weather conditions were expected to run until Friday, and flood advisories stayed in place for a second day.

The emergency declaration covers the counties of Hawai’i, Maui, Kalawao, O’ahu and Kaua’i, the governor’s office said in a statement, while the disaster relief period runs until May 8.

The Honolulu Department of Emergency Management directed people to leave Haleiwa, a community of a few thousand people to the north of state capital Honolulu.

Hawaii News Now reported that two people were swept away in raging waters on Tuesday. One of them, a 27-year-old man, was rescued by authorities. A search for the other would resume on Wednesday, according to the report.

State emergency management officials had said the rains led to the cresting of the Kaupakalua dam in the northern region of Haiku, prompting authorities to open evacuation shelters and urge people not to return home.