Thousands ordered to evacuate as Hawaii hit by severe flash floods
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<p>Officials warn some residents could be trapped by rising waters as Wahiawā dam on Oahu ‘may collapse at any time’</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&utm_campaign=BN22326&utm_content=signup&utm_term=standfirst&utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to
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Thousands ordered to evacuate as Hawaii hit by severe flash floods Officials warn some residents could be trapped by rising waters as Wahiawā dam on Oahu ‘may collapse at any time’ Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Towering flash floods and an imminent dam failure in the northern part of Oahu triggered evacuation warnings in Hawaii on Friday, as the state continued contending with a powerful storm this week. The waters came on quickly in the middle of the night, and videos on social media captured inundated streets and cars being swallowed by the muddy floodwaters. As heavy rains continued to batter Hawaii, the Wahiawā dam on Oahu had water pouring over its spillway at 1,500 gallons per second on Friday morning. Oahu Emergency Management warned that the dam “may collapse or breach at any time”. Honolulu officials told residents in an emergency message to leave the area downstream of the dam. Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s famed North Shore, where rising waters also damaged homes. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order at 5.35am on Friday for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa dam is high.” It remained unclear how many residents would be able to evacuate, given that many roads were already inundated. A shelter set up at Waialua high school lost power early on Friday morning and had to be evacuated itself. North Shore state representative Amy Perruso told Honolulu Civil Beat that emergency services were having trouble reaching people, and many residents’ vehicles were under water. “There’s no exit possibility for a lot of folks right now,” Perruso said. The Honolulu emergency department said in the early hours of Friday: “If you are trapped, go to the highest level. Stay out of attics without a way to the roof.” 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 ho...
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