Published: July 25,2016
Tropical Storm Darby hammered Oahu with
torrential downpours overnight Sunday and into Monday morning,
inundating roadways and causing dozens of residents to call for help
after floodwaters surrounded their homes.
In just three hours' time, Darby dumped as much as 7 inches of rain on eastern Oahu, according to weather.com meteorologist Jon Erdman.
That led to ponding along Interstate H-1 near Honolulu, and the city's
police department asked drivers to stay off the roads until the flooding
subsided, according to the Associated Press.
By 10
p.m. Sunday night local time, the Honolulu Fire Department said it had
received 59 calls from residents who needed to be evacuated from their
flooded homes, the AP reported via KHON-TV.
The storm dumped heavy rain along
several of the Hawaiian Islands after making landfall Saturday afternoon
local time. Gusty winds and rain-softened soil downed trees and power
lines, causing hundreds of outages.
At 3:23 p.m. HST Saturday afternoon, an 11-year-old boy and his father were rescued from a swollen stream in Iao Valley, Hawaii News Now reported. The boy was playing in the water when he was swept up by a fast-moving current.
The boy became stranded on a dry island in the river
and bystanders attempted to rescue him by throwing him a garden hose
from the side of the stream, according to Maui Now. The boy's father
entered the stream and walked out to his son on the island. Air 1 lifted
the adult and child to a landing zone along a local road, and
paramedics inspected them before releasing them at the scene.
At Hanauma Bay, a large sign warned visitors to stay off the beach due to the dangerous conditions created by the storm, KHON reported.
“We
wanted to see the bay and let my kids go out and swim, but it looks
like that’s not going to work out,” Paul Pittman, whose family was on
vacation from Texas, told KHON.
Officials issued a Brown Water Advisory
for the Big Island and Maui County on Sunday, Hawaii News Now also
reported. Residents have been warned to stay away from waterways, as
floodwaters and storm runoff can contain sewer water, pesticides, dead
animals and chemicals.
About 1,000 Hawaii Electric Light customers
in the lower Puna district and a few in Hamakua, upper Puna and Kina
were reportedly without power Saturday, according to KITV. The utility
says a majority of the outages were caused by downed trees and fallen
limbs.
A portion of Hāna Highway in Maui had to be shut down for the second time Saturday after fallen trees blocked both lanes between mile markers 5 and 6, Maui Now also reported.
Governor
David Ige signed an emergency proclamation Friday as the state began to
prepare for the storm’s landfall, the AP reported. The document
authorizes spending state money for disaster-related relief efforts.
“Our top priority is to protect the health, safety and welfare of Hawai'i’s residents and visitors,”
stated Ige in a press release. “I urge residents and businesses to
follow emergency instructions, prepare for the storm and take steps to
protect your families, employees and property.”
A list of closures and cancellations can be found on the KHON website, and those looking for shelters can find a complete list at Hawaii News Now.
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