Wahiawa dam collapse fears erupt as over 4000 people told ‘leave now’ | World | News

An urgent evacuation order has been issued in Hawaii as incessant rains have prompted fears a 120-year-old dam may collapse. Over 4,000 residents received an emergency message to evacuate the area downstream of the Wahiawa dam, with floods reaching chest-high.

“Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s famed North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order in the early hours of this morning for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.” Authorities urged residents to carpool as roads became heavily congested with people fleeing the area.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu issued a flash flood warning at 8.22am HST (6.22pm GMT), citing local law enforcement reports of an imminent dam failure.

Just minutes later, the Oahu Department of Emergency Management warned that a “dam/levee failure is in progress or expected,” with the potential for life-threatening flooding in downstream areas.

Most of the state was under a flood watch, with northern Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service, which reported “widespread life-threatening flash flooding” particularly in Haleiwa and Waialua.

Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said: “The water is actively running over the spillway right now.”

Over the past 24 hours, the area has received over a foot of water, causing rivers to swell and the Wahiawa Reservoir to rise to terrifying heights.

Calling the situation “touch-and-go” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green described the storm as “very severe” and that the Hawaii National Guard has been activated to respond to the flooding.

He wrote in a social media post: “The storm of course is very severe right now, particularly on the northern part of Oahu” He continued: “It’s going to be a very touch-and-go day.” Evacuation shelters have been set up to receive those fleeing the threat.

The state regulates 132 dams across Hawaii, most of them built as part of irrigation systems for the sugar cane industry, according to a 2019 infrastructure report by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

In 2006, seven people were killed when the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and water rushed downhill.