Updated March 20, 2026 at 5:50 PM CDT
HONOLULU — Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes off their foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu on Friday as officials warned of the possible failure of a 120-year-old dam.
Emergency sirens blared along Oahu's North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes in a community world-renowned for its surfing. Honolulu officials told residents at 5:35 a.m. Friday to leave the area downstream of Wahiawa dam, saying it was "at risk of imminent failure."
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries, but firefighters and lifeguards on jet skis were searching flood waters for people who had been stranded, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu.
"We do have reports of homes being swept away," he said. But the agency doesn't know how many. The evacuation order asked fleeing residents to carpool because of heavy traffic.
Maui County issued an evacuation advisory, but not an order, for some Lahaina neighborhoods after nearby retention basins neared capacity on Friday. The county said crews were redirecting and pumping water to keep levels safe. Parts of these neighborhoods were burned by the massive wildfire that destroyed much of Lahaina in 2023.
Officials have been watching dam levels since a storm last week dumped heavy rain across the state, which led to catastrophic flooding that washed away roads and homes. After the worst of it, a similar but weaker storm was forecast to bring more rain through this weekend.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in a social media post that the Hawaii National Guard has been activated to respond to the flooding. "The storm of course is very severe right now, particularly on the northern part of Oahu," he said, describing chest-high flood waters. "It's going to be a very touch-and-go day."
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" that's "extremely dangerous" particularly in Haleiwa and Waialua.
One shelter at Waialua High and Intermediate School is being evacuated because of flooding, Scheuring said. There were about 185 people and 50 pets who had sought shelter there but are being bussed to another evacuation center.
Several parts of Oahu received 8 to 12 inches of rain overnight, adding water to grounds already saturated by heavy rainfall from the storm last weekend. Kaala, the island's highest peak, got nearly 16 inches in the past day, on top of 26.6 inches between March 10 and 16, the National Weather Service said.
Winter storm systems known as "Kona lows," which feature southerly or southwesterly winds that bring in moisture-laden air, were responsible for both deluges. Kona lows have been responsible for torrential rains, hailstorms, thunder and flooding in the islands.
As she prepared to evacuate to a friend's home on higher ground, Waialua resident Kathleen Pahinui told The Associated Press in a phone interview that the aging dam is a concern every time it rains.
"Just pray for us," she said. "We understand there's more rain coming."
Molly Pierce, spokesperson for the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, said the evacuation order covers more than 4,000 people.
"The water is actively running over the spillway right now," she said.
The state has said that the dam has "high hazard potential," and that a failure "will result in probable loss of human life."
The earthen dam was built in 1906 to increase sugar production for the Waialua Agricultural Company, which eventually became a subsidiary of Dole Food Company. It was reconstructed following a collapse in 1921.
In the last few years, Dole agreed to transfer ownership of the dam to the state, which wants more than $20 million in improvements made to reduce flooding danger, but that transfer has not been completed. The state has been warning Dole since 2009 that the upgrades were needed, the nonprofit news organization Honolulu Civil Beat reported Friday.
In an emailed statement, Dole said it was working closely with authorities to monitor the dam.
"The dam continues to operate as designed with no indications of damage," the statement said. "We encourage all to follow instructions from local and state authorities and stay vigilant during this storm."
State Sen. Brenton Awa, a Republican who represents the North Shore, said the area that's long been popular among tourists and renowned for its big-wave action, has seen a lot of development and newcomers in recent years.
Awa said he spoke with some people who couldn't evacuate because of the flooding. "Right now it's a community in isolation. They're cut off," he said.
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.
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