Hawaii is threatened by heavy rains that are likely to last at least two more days and damage life, infrastructure and property throughout the state, Gov. David Ige (D) said as he declared a state of emergency on Monday.
The governor’s declaration, which is set to remain in effect through Friday, will allow authorities to allocate funding, temporarily suspend laws that could interfere with emergency management efforts, and take action to save lives, including by ordering mandatory evacuations and shutting off power lines.
I’ve just signed an emergency declaration for the entire State of Hawaiʻi as heavy rains from a Kona Low weather system are anticipated to continue to cause flooding and damage to public and private property.
— Governor David Ige (@GovHawaii) December 7, 2021
In its latest forecast discussion, issued after midnight local time on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said the Kona storm — a subtropical cyclone that occurs during the cool season — would “bring the threat of heavy rain and locally gusty winds to Kauai County and Oahu,” where a flood watch remains in effect.
However, it added that “the threat of significant flooding” appeared to have diminished on the Big Island and in Maui County and that a “breezy and drier trade wind weather pattern will spread over all islands by Thursday, continuing into the weekend.”
On Monday, Honolulu firefighters rescued several people trapped or swept by away by floodwaters, including children and an elderly woman, according to Hawaii Now.
The city experienced severe power outages after a substation serving the downtown area flooded, electrical services company Hawaiian Electric said, adding that power would not be restored to the affected areas until Tuesday morning “at the earliest.” Parts of Maui were also asked to prepare for prolonged outages.
10p #MauiOutage update: Mahalo for your patience as affected customers in remaining pockets Upcountry & parts of Lahaina, Haiku, & Wailuku are asked to please prepare for an extended outage until tmrw. Crews restored power to most customers in Pukalani, Makawao & parts of Kula.
— Hawaiian Electric - Maui County (@MauiElectric) December 7, 2021
Meanwhile, Maui’s Kahului Airport was briefly without power Sunday, disrupting normal service, and sections of major highways were shut down Monday because of flooding.
However, all public schools in Hawaii were set to be open Tuesday except for two on Oahu, the state Department of Education said.
Honolulu’s mayor, Rick Blangiardi, warned residents in a Facebook post on Monday evening: “Now is not a good time to go for a hike, or engage in risky behavior. Please make good choices to ensure our emergency services personnel don’t need to endanger their lives in a rescue operation.”
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