Fears of Flooding Face Oahu Residents

BREAKING CLIMATE NEWS: HAWAII, U.S.A.

March 26, 2006
Kaaawa (KHNL)- Fears of flooding face Windward Oahu residents as the wet weather keeps falling.

Some people weren't prepared for the heavy rains, but others are taking matters into their own hands in their continuous battle against Mother Nature.

VIEW VIDEO
Heavy Rains Cause Mudslides on Oahu

RELATED NEWS

The turnaround from December's record-low rainfall has been an unusually wet March in Hawai'i as the storm watch continues with no end in sight. Boulders from a hillside littered Kailua Road yesterday morning, blocking one Kailua-bound lane from about 10 a.m. to noon. Heavy rains also caused boulders to fall elsewhere on O'ahu. "It's got to end sometime. This is wild. I've never experienced this kind of weather event or episode to my recollection. This kind of persistent trough is VERY, VERY RARE. Like a one-in-a-hundred-years kind of thing." The weather service was reviewing data to confirm if this has been the wettest March on record in Hawai'i. It already is the WETTEST MONTH EVER in Lihu'e, Kaua'i. From March 1 through 8 p.m. Sunday, Lihu'e had recorded 32.95 inches of rain. The previous high for the entire month of March was 3.03 inches. Honolulu International Airport had recorded 10.28 inches for the month as of 4 p.m. Sunday. 1.64 inches is the average March rainfall at the airport. "So far, February was wetter than normal and we're coming up to 40 days of excessive rains."

SOUTH AFRICA - Several families have been left homeless after their homes flooded and collapsed at Qho and Qhonyana village in Taung in the North West due to heavy rain. Taung residents are now starting to panic. Since the rain started about three months ago, six people drowned and 1040 families have been left homeless. Heavy floods have also destroyed bridges, burying them underwater, making it impossible in some villages for children to attend school. The last heavy floods to hit Taung were about 18 years ago. At the beginning of March, when the first floods fell on the area, the North West government promised to promptly supply food and shelter. However, communities say they are still waiting.

The situation in most villages of Taung in the North West remains critical following continuous torrential rain in the area. Most bridges in the villages are underwater. The floods, which hit the area for almost three months, have reportedly left some of the villages isolated and inaccessible. Rains the night of the 24th - measuring about 30mm - caused extensive damage at Qho village where several houses mostly built of mud have collapsed. More rain is still expected in the area.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - Traffic on the Puerto Plata-Navarrete highway has become chaotic in the last days, due to new mudslides affecting the route from the heavy rains. A 300 meter section of the Maimón–La Colorada road has been washed out by torrents and debris falling from the hills located on both sides of the route. Along the old highway numerous potholes and sunk pavements can also be observed, which makes the transit of vehicles in the zone markedly difficult.