Rains wreak havoc on island - It's a deluge
It's a deluge
Heavy rains hammered Kaua‘i for another day Monday, flooding neighborhoods, toppling trees onto highways, forcing evacuations and making many roads impassable. Several schools will be closed today.
A manhole overflowed in Wailua, spilling thousands of gallons of sewage mixed with storm waters. Crews attempting to clear falling trees from some highways were “hindered by continuous falling branches and dangerous conditions” Monday night, Kaua‘i Civil Defense authorities reported.
A highway culvert that collapsed during earlier heavy rains collapsed again on Monday, and crews did not anticipate beginning repairs until mid-March.
Families and visitors began streaming into emergency shelters set up in Kapa‘a and Lihu‘e.
“This afternoon I issued a disaster declaration which will allow the county access to funding and additional resources should the need arise,” Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said.
Governor declares disaster for rain-soaked Kaua‘i Dennis Fujimoto - The Garden Island | Posted: Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a disaster proclamation for Kaua‘i and O‘ahu Tuesday morning as rains continued to fall on portions of the drenched islands.
The proclamation, requested by Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., Monday night following a day-long deluge on the east and north ends of Kaua‘i, allows for any necessary steps to be carried out and provides for activation of civil defense and other emergency functions to ensure public health and safety, states a release from the governor.
Kuhio Highway, a major connection between Kilauea and the North Shore, including Hanalei and Ha‘ena, is still closed in portions, said a news release from the county.
The road is still closed in the vicinity of Ha‘ena Beach Park, but both lanes of Kuhio Highway at the Kalihiwai Bridge were opened at 4 p.m. just north of Kilauea town following a landslide Monday night that forced the closure of both lanes.
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