 Wet Winter Wreaks Havoc on Isles
The wet and windy weather in December caused a lot of damage on the
Island of Oahu and Kauai. Severe flooding was seen across the
“Gathering Place” and the “Garden Island”. State Civil Defense estimates
that almost 4 dozen structures suffered major damages. Haleiwa,
Waianae, and Laie were hardest hit on Oahu. Heavy hit areas on Kauai
included Waimea and Hanapepe. The severe weather even prompted
the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue a tornado warning for Kauai, after
radars indicated developing weather conditions conducive of producing a
twister seven miles southwest of Kaumakani, 24 miles west of Lihu‘e.
Beginning on December 10th, heavy rains began to fall
on Oahu and Kauai.
By early
Thursday morning, December
11th, NWS reported rain gage readings on
Oahu and Kauai were as high as 10 inches in the past
24-hours in some areas. As the rain subsided on Friday,
many residents began the tedious cleanup process.
However, because the ground was already saturated
and rivers swollen, the second rounds of rains created
severe flood conditions once again
over the weekend,
December 13 and 14.
Meanwhile,
on December 12, 2008, Governor Linda
Lingle issued an emergency proclamation in order to provide relief for
disaster damages and losses during the storm period of
December 10 - 16, 2008. State Civil Defense immediately
Continued on Page 3
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| Photos taken by: Richard Ambo (Honolulu Advertiser) |
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