Hawaii flash floods wreak havoc as 120-year-old dam threatens to burst, 230 people rescued https://t.co/s7M0aWddHp pic.twitter.com/NgU3NZbo8I
— New York Post (@nypost) March 21, 2026
Muddy floodwaters from severe rains inundated streets, pushed homes off their foundations, swallowed vehicles and prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents in towns north of Honolulu on Friday as officials warned of the possible failure of a 120-year-old dam.
Emergency sirens blared along Oahu’s North Shore, where rising waters damaged homes in a community world-renowned for its surfing. Honolulu officials told residents Friday morning to leave the area downstream of Wahiawa dam — long known to be vulnerable — saying it was “at risk of imminent failure.”
More than 230 people were rescued as heavy rains pummeled the Hawaiian island of Oahu and triggered the worst flooding the island has in 20 years, inflicting what the governor said could top $1 billion in damage.