honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 8:56 p.m., Friday, December 12, 2008

Oahu flash warning canceled

Advertiser Staff

A flash flood warning has expired for Oahu.

The warning went through 9:15 p.m., and had been issued after heavy rains pelted the west side.

However, a flash flood watch remains in effect until 6 p.m. tomorrow.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., more than an inch of rain was recorded at the Waiawa Correctional Facility and Mililani and the Kahuku Training area.

At 7:25 p.m., radar showed heavy rain falling at more than 2 inches per hour over portions of O'ahu.

Kevin Kodama, National Weather Service hydrologist, said a large band of showers came into the Wai'anae coastline this evening, hitting an area already saturated by yesterday's deluge that dumped up to 9 inches of rain in Waianae Valley.

"The main concern is that the ground is so saturated already from the previous day's rains that flooding can occur quickly," Kodama said.

For the most part, officials reported only rain ponding on roadways, said John Cummings, city Department of Emergency Management public information officer. On Fort Weaver Road, officials reported a stalled car in the southbound lane, which was closed until the car was removed and the water abates.

"Just ponding issues on the roadway, nothing outstanding to report," Cummings said.

Meanwhile, three shelters set up by the American Red Cross, Hawai'i Chapter are still open, and are housing people who arrived yesterday, Cummings said.

The shelters are:

  • Brigham Young University's old gymnasium, 55-220 Kulanui St. in La'ie,

  • Wai'anae District Park, 85-601 Farrington Hwy., and

  • the Queen Lili'uokalani Church, 66-090 Kamehameha Hwy., in Hale'iwa.

    The city has also established a special hotline for residents to report damage and assistance needs following yesterday's storm. The hotline number is 768-4385.

    The hotline will be staff at the following times: tonight through 9 p.m.; tomorrow and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Monday thru Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

    "Hopefully, this will blow away," Cummings said. "We're staffing the office right now."

    Officials are still in the process of estimating the damage from yesterday's rain, he said.

    Crews from the city's Department of Environmental Services posted warning signs and began sampling water today at both Kawa Stream and in Kane'ohe Bay after a wastewater overflow yesterday from the Kane'ohe Pretreatment Facility.

    A total of 37,500 gallons of untreated wastewater entered Kawa Stream from surface run-off that empties into Kane'ohe Bay.

    Parts of O'ahu received up to 14 inches of rain in a 12-hour span yesterday, surcharging collection systems from Kailua to Wai'anae.