Members of the National Guard and Coast Guard are carrying out extensive search and rescue efforts in Hawaii, as the state is hit by the largest and worst flooding in two decades.
Roughly 200 Hawaii National Guard members are taking part in storm response missions after Gov. Josh Green activated troops in the wake of the storm. The mobilized force includes members of the Hawaii National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package. Military and first responders rescued more than 200 people since Friday. As of Sunday afternoon, no deaths had been reported, according to Oahu’s Department of Emergency Management.
Top Stories This Week
The National Guard deployed a number of vehicles, including three Black Hawk helicopters and more than a dozen High Water Vehicle Teams to search for people displaced or trapped by the water. Hawaii State Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan said that troops are stationed around the state in every county in response to the brutal storms. The Black Hawks rescued nearly four dozen people near the Waiʻanae area, the National Guard said in a statement.
Hawaii was heavily hit by rain in the past week and on Friday more storms caused the saturated grounds on the island of Oahu to flood, prompting evacuation orders for roughly 5,500 people, including the North Shore area. The storms, which continued through the weekend, threatened several islands, although Oahu saw the most extensive flash floods. The severe weather was a “Kona Low,” a winter storm known for bringing heavy rains and strong winds to the area. Gov. Green said that the storm has caused around $1 billion in estimated damages.
The Coast Guard and Navy are also taking part in operations. Air crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point are flying to assess the damage and conduct rescues, including one on Friday where an MH-65 crew found two people who had been stranded by flooding and written “SOS” in the sand. The Coast Guard also staged several cutters and other boats in preparation for rescue calls. Also on Friday, a MH-60 Sea Hawk from the Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 rescued five people who had taken to a rooftop to avoid the floods.
National Guard troops also deployed overnight to monitor the 120-year-old Wahiawa dam on Oahu, which officials feared could fail as water levels rose. As of Sunday, water levels stabilized, state officials said.
Although no one had died from the flooding, the impact on homes and infrastructure has been extensive over the weekend. Damage to the state’s power grid also has left roughly 2,000 still without power.
Task & Purpose Video
