By Joseph Pisani
Torrential rains caused homes and streets to flood on the northern coast of Hawaii's Oahu on Friday, and local officials warned that a dam on the island could fail, sending more water into communities.
"LEAVE NOW or go to high ground or the highest floor of your home," said an early-morning evacuation order for the areas of Waialua and Haleiwa, north of Honolulu. Another alert said the failure of Wahiawa Dam was imminent.
Some homes were ripped off their foundations after an overnight rainstorm, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesman for the city and county of Honolulu. He said authorities were actively trying to rescue people stranded by floodwaters.
Thursday night's storm was the second to affect the Hawaiian islands in a week, said Stephen Parker, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
The ground is still wet from the storm last weekend, Parker said, making it hard for the new rain to be absorbed into the ground and causing streams to overflow.
The northern part of Oahu received 8 to 11 inches of rain Thursday into Friday, Parker said.
"Even for a tropical area, that is a tremendous amount of rain," he said.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said floodwaters reached as high as people's chests in some areas. "Please do not take this lightly -- stay off the roads, avoid floodwaters, and check on your neighbors," he said in a social-media post.
Write to Joseph Pisani at joseph.pisani@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 16:57 ET (20:57 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
