Local law enforcement reported the incident at 9:53 p.m. Saturday, according to a National Weather Service alert. Rain was falling at an extreme rate of 3 to 5 inches per hour, and flash flooding remained ongoing as additional heavy rain bands were expected over the next several hours.
Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda said Hawaii County Civil Defense initiated a joint search-and-rescue mission utilizing county, Hawaii National Guard and Coast Guard resources.
“What makes this very challenging is there’s rushing water, debris, and there’s boulders on the road, and it’s dark,” he said in a video posted to social media.
Earlier this year, more than 2 trillion gallons of water—enough to fill 3 million Olympic-sized swimming pools—inundated Hawaiʻi. In March, the accumulated rainfall over 14 days reached as high as 3,000% of normal historical levels for this time of year, culminating in a destructive “rain bomb” over Oʻahu. Through the University of Hawaiʻi’s Hawaiʻi Mesonet and the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal, researchers captured the scale of these back-to-back Kona low systems, mapping localized threats and providing crucial data on the state’s severe flooding.
Between March 1 and March 23, statewide rainfall averaged 18.25 inches—more than 2.6 times the standard March average of 6.85 inches.
While the first storm (March 10–16) brought hurricane-force wind gusts of 135.4 mph to Hawaiʻi Island and up to 62 inches of rain to Maui, the second Kona storm between March 19 and 23 triggered a new wave of devastation. The second storm dumped up to 61 inches of rain in localized areas, producing destructive floods across eastern and central Molokaʻi, West Maui and Oʻahu.
Communities such as Waialua and Haleiwa on Oʻahu’s north shore experienced devastating inundation. Hawaiʻi Mesonet stations highlighted the widespread intensity of the storm: the Kaʻala station recorded the island’s highest two-day rainfall of roughly 22 inches, including 19.67 inches in a 24-hour period beginning the evening of March 19. Almost simultaneously, the nearby Kalaheʻe Ridge station above Waimea Valley recorded 9.75 inches in 24 hours.
