High surf from Hurricane Lowell inundates Makaha condominium complex

MĀKAHA (HawaiiNewsNow) – High surf from Hurricane Lowell has inundated coastal areas on Oʻahu’s leeward coast, forcing the closure of Farrington Highway and flooding ground-floor residential units in Mākaha.

Read more First Alert Forecast: Flash Flood Warning for Kauai County

Officials shut down all lanes of Farrington Highway for several hours Monday between Orange Street and Mākaha Valley Road after high waves washed sand onto the roadway.

Surf inundates Mākaha condominium

At the Mākaha Beach Cabanas, where about 300 residents live, waves reached the first floor of the building.

Management said shoreline water entered three to four ground-floor units, filling them with two to three inches of water. Affected residents are temporarily staying in empty units upstairs.

The condominium complex also lost power about an hour before the report. Complex management is working to operate a backup generator to mitigate the outage.

Read more Lihue Airport, commercial ports close as Hurricane Lowell nears Kauai

To prevent further flooding, workers dug trenches along the sides of the property, but the trenches filled with water within 20 minutes as waves continued to wash onto the shoreline.

Safety and status of swimmers

A video from West Oʻahu shows high surf coming up to the first floor of the cabanas, where three people appeared to be overcome by waves. Two individuals were seen on the sand by the end of the video, but the whereabouts of the third person remain unconfirmed.

Management plans to monitor conditions closely overnight, particularly between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. when waves are projected to reach their highest levels.

Read more Where roads are closed as Hurricane Lowell reaches the islands