#kona low maui

The Hawaiʻi Department of Health, in collaboration with Aloha House, CARE Hawaiʻi, Inc., Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center, Pacific Counseling Group, LLC and Project Vision Hawaiʻi, has launched Project Hoʻoulu — The Hawaiʻi Resiliency Project, to support children, youth and adults affected by the recent Kona Low floods on Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu and Lānaʻi.

The funding will provide further financial assistance to individuals and families affected by storms, particularly residents living in South Maui (Kīhei and Wailea) and West Maui (Lahaina, Kāʻanapali and Kahana), where the majority of damage occurred. 

Sunday, June 14, is the deadline to apply for both FEMA disaster assistance and US Small Business Administration low-interest physical damage disaster loans.

A kona low west of the islands will bring a continued threat for heavy rain and flooding along with isolated thunderstorms today, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS reports that conditions will gradually improve over the weekend with stable trade wind weather expected for the first half of next week.

Eddie Tam Memorial Center in Makawao will open at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 30, as an emergency shelter for those stranded by the Piʻilani Highway closure in East Maui.

Tools used to trap ash and debris and filter out potential contaminants before they entered the storm drain system proved helpful, according to the Department of Public Works.

The Hāna Highway is closed between mile markers 40 and 41 in the area of Laulima Farms due to flooding. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation was headed out to Mile 21 of the Hāna Highway at around 9:12 a.m. to clear a reported mud/rock slide. Piʻilani Highway in East Maui is closed at mile markers 16, 28, miles 29 to 31 from Kaupō to Nuʻu, and at the bridge at mile 36 due to flooding.

The Department of Water Supply is requesting that residents, visitors and businesses of Nāhiku in East Maui conserve water. A water line repair has been delayed due to inclement weather.

Specifically, Lahaina customers within and near the burn zone are asked to reduce toilet flushing, bathing, washing clothes and cleaning dishes. Doing so will safeguard the system against potential sewage spills. 

The Flash Flood Warning is canceled for the island of Maui as of 2:38 p.m. The National Weather Service reports that the heavy rain has ended. Hāna Highway has been reopened, but portions of Piʻilani Highway remain closed. A Flood Watch remains in effect until 6 p.m. on Friday for all of the main Hawaiian Islands.

A kona low west of the islands continues to threaten the state with the potential for heavy rain and thunderstorms. A Flood Watch remains in effect until Thursday afternoon for the entire state. There is also a Winter Weather Advisory in effect through Thursday morning for the Big Island summits.

A kona low will increase potential for heavy rain and thunderstorms across Kauaʻi and Oʻahu as early as Tuesday morning before spreading this potential to the remaining islands over the following days.

The County of Maui is now taking steps to prepare as an approaching Kona low storm system brings the potential for damaging conditions.

An unstable tropical moisture band will keep widespread rainfall in the forecast, heavy at times, with developing thunderstorms across much of the state.

“Light to moderate rain may be locally heavy at times over Kauaʻi and Oʻahu while periods of heavy rain will result in much greater flash flood potential over windward and southeast-facing slopes of the Big Island and Maui,” according to an update issued by the National Weather Service on Friday morning.

The company reports that crews are prepared to respond to storm-related outages, but advises that in some areas, power restoration may be delayed due to accessibility issues caused by fallen trees, debris or flooding.

The NWS reports that flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible as a kona low brings widespread heavy rainfall to the Hawaiian Islands from Thursday into the weekend.

Due to hazardous conditions caused by impacts from this week’s kona low storm, the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife has closed the Waihou Spring Forest Reserve on Maui.

A second Maui County project on South Kīhei Road is in two segments: from Līpoa Street to Auhana Road and from Keonekai Road to Kilohana Drive. Until July, two lanes of traffic will be allowed, with one in each direction. Later in July, road paving work will begin, and alternating single-lane traffic will be implemented.

The Department of Water Supply reports a boil water advisory has been lifted for all areas of Upcountry, Maui, after consecutive days of negative water sample results for trace amounts of E. coli bacteria.