Flooding brought debris into many roadways on the Big Island of Hawaii. Photo: KHON2//Screenshot
Big Island officials have a mess to clean up after some parts of the island were inundated by over 20 inches of rain overnight. According to Kimo Alameda, Hawaii County Mayor, it was the worst flooding he’s ever seen in Hawaii.
“Last night was super heavy rains,” he told KHON2. “I mean, the worst flooding I’ve seen, especially in the Kohala, Kona and Kau districts. There were 18 rescues, rescues from the cars or from the houses, and that was a big concern. So, we were up late last night.”
It’s going to take a while to fully assess just how much damage has been done, but a handful of businesses in the Kailua Kona area reportedly sustained serious damage. Other islands have been under water recently, as well, but the Big Island might’ve been hit the hardest.
“Crews are out there as we speak,” Alameda said. “Both County and State and they’re doing their assessments right now, so tomorrow I’m directing County to work as usual, so business as usual tomorrow.”
Many roadways were flooded or blocked by debris, and although much of that work has been started, conditions aren’t great for drivers.
“We should be going out, doing what you need to do, but drive with caution,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation director Ed Sniffen. “There’s going to be some potential holdovers from the storm. There may be areas where the slopes might be softened a bit and we might see some debris on the roadways, so drive with caution. Everybody should know that we don’t know the full impacts of this storm yet. That was a lot of water in a short amount of time.”
Thankfully, no one has been reported injured, and the rain is abating slightly, giving crews a much-needed break in the weather to get as much done as they can.
“Fortunately, this morning, things started to settle down and we’re going to spend the rest of the afternoon kind of getting an assessment of how much damage,” said Mayor Alameda. “And then tomorrow get a better understanding of the damage around the island.”
