Heavy rain floods Kamehameha Highway on Oahu’s North Shore
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A portion of Kamehameha Highway near Sunset Beach Elementary School was inundated with water Thursday from heavy rain.
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The downpours created a river that sent gravel from a private, unpaved access road onto the highway. Independent crews spent time clearing debris from the roadway with heavy machinery.
The highway remained open, and drivers paused to let the workers shift the gravel.
On other parts of the highway, vehicles were slow-moving, navigating slick, and swamped stretches.
Area council member Matt Weyer asked people to avoid roadways if possible.
“When you see flood water, always turn back, you don’t want to drive through it. As little as six inches can make you lose control of your car. If you see downed power lines, stay back as well, even if they appear like the power is off because they can pose a hazard and you can report those directly to officials,” Weyer said.
Some who were out on the road took Weyer’s advice and decided to head back home.
“It’s definitely something to be concerned about when driving,” visitor Samuel Macatee said. “Probably better to stay off the roads.”
Macatee’s friend Daniel Goettel echoed his cautious attitude.
“With a lot of the water flooding in, you have to be very careful of slowing down or coming to a sudden stop,” Goettel said. “I see a lot of people driving very cautiously; I think they understand and are ready to just make it a lazy rainy day and stay inside.”
Weyer also reminded people to restock their go bags and emergency kits, and to sign up for emergency alerts from the city by texting “HNLalert” to 888777 to, “Be tuned in and follow official channels when incidents happen.”
The crews removing the rubble predicted it will take them a few days to clear it all, weather permitting.
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