Updated: March 21, 2026 / 12:05 AM EDT
Severe rains sent muddy floodwaters through towns north of Honolulu Friday, pushing homes off foundations, swallowing vehicles and prompting evacuation orders for roughly 5,500 people as officials warned a nearly 120-year-old dam could fail.
Emergency sirens sounded across Oahu’s North Shore, where rising water damaged homes in surf communities. Honolulu officials ordered residents downstream of the Wahiawa dam to evacuate, saying the aging structure — long viewed as vulnerable — was at risk of imminent failure.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said there were no fatalities and no unaccounted-for people as of Friday night. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi reported 233 rescues so far and described the damage as catastrophic. Rescuers searched by air and water for stranded residents; crews’ work was hindered when people flew personal drones over flood zones, city spokesperson Ian Scheuring said.
Dozens, and possibly hundreds, of homes were damaged, but officials could not yet complete a full assessment. The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults from a spring-break youth camp at the Our Lady of Kea’au retreat on Oahu’s west coast. Although the camp sits on higher ground, authorities moved attendees because floodwaters had cut off the only entrance road, a spokesperson for St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawai‘i said.
On Maui, officials issued an evacuation advisory for parts of Lahaina after nearby retention basins neared capacity; some of those neighborhoods were burned in the 2023 wildfire. The National Weather Service placed most of the state under a flood watch, with Haleiwa and Waialua on northern Oahu under a flash flood warning.
Gov. Green activated the Hawaii National Guard and described chest-high water in parts of northern Oahu, with some rescues carried out from rooftops. Multiple pet-friendly shelters were opened, including Waialua High and Intermediate, Wahiawā District Park, Nānākuli High and Intermediate, and Kahuku Elementary.
Officials have been watching dam levels since heavy rains last week caused destructive flooding that washed away roads and homes. A weaker follow-up storm was forecast to bring more rain through the weekend, complicating response and assessment efforts. Green warned the storm could result in more than a billion dollars in public and private damage.
Hawaii regulates 132 dams statewide, many originally built for sugar cane irrigation, according to a 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers report. Authorities noted past dam failures when discussing risks: severe flooding in 2021 may have caused a breach of Kaupakalua Dam on Maui, and the collapse of Kauai’s Ka Loko dam in 2006 killed seven people. Officials continue to monitor dam conditions as emergency response and damage evaluations continue.