Intense rain threatens Hawaii dam, thousands told to evacuate
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LOS ANGELES - Officials in Hawaii on March 20 ordered some 4,000 people living near an ageing dam on the island of Oahu to evacuate the area immediately, following severe rain that has battered the region.
The century-old Wahiawa dam, located in the north of Hawaii’s third-largest island, which is home to the state capital Honolulu, “is at imminent risk of failure”, the local emergency management agency warned.
There is “potential life-threatening flooding” in areas below the dam, it added.
“Leave the downstream area now,” it said, recommending that people carpool to ease traffic congestion.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said torrential rain has caused “serious flooding” and brought water in the reservoir to dangerous levels, prompting the authorities to issue the alert.
“Lots of people had to evacuate. We’ve evacuated the whole region now,” Mr Green said on social media.
Much of the US state, a remote archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, remains under a flood watch or warning, according to the National Weather Service, which reported particularly dangerous conditions in northern Oahu. AFP
