© Provided by PeopleKehaulani Cerizo/The Maui News via AP Rains in Haiku, Maui, cause a dam to overflow
At least one person is reportedly missing and half a dozen homes are destroyed or damaged after torrential rainfall over parts of Hawaii led to flash flooding.
Gov. David Ige signed an emergency proclamation on Tuesday night, noting that the flooding had caused "extensive damage" to both public and private property across several of Hawaii's islands.
The storms began on March 8, and were expected to continue through March 12, Ige said in his proclamation, which intended to free up state general funds in order to help those impacted.
Two people were swept away in the heavy rains in separate incidents on Tuesday, including a 27-year-old man who was rescued from his truck in Waikele, local affiliate KGMB/KHNL reported.
© Kehaulani Cerizo/The Maui News via APRains in Haiku, Maui, cause a dam to overflow
An unidentified person who was swept out in the Waiawa Stream in Pearl City around 4:30 p.m. remains missing, according to the outlet. Authorities' search for the person was suspended around three hours later, and will resume Wednesday morning.
The torrential rainfall was caused in part by a strong, low-pressure system that produced the biggest impact over Maui, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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On Monday, rainfall above the Kaupakalua reservoir overtopped the dam, and though it ultimately did not fail, the risk of failure still forced residents to evacuate.
© Provided by PeopleKehaulani Cerizo/The Maui News via AP A bridge in Haiku, Maui
At least six homes from Haiku to Makawao were "severely damaged or destroyed" by the flooding, according to NOAA.
Mark Alexander, who lives in Haiku, told KGMB/KHNL that the floodwaters knocked his daughter's room off the home's foundation, and that it took just minutes for the water to rise to chest level.
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His son Shawn lost his truck and most of his belongings. His dog was also swept away, but survived.
"I started panicking, my dad started panicking," he told the outlet. "Within 15 to 20 minutes, the water just rose to the top. It burst into the room, took all the trees, lifted up my truck and my truck went down the river as well."
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Ige said that several bridges in Maui had also been destroyed or displaced, making roads impassable.
By Tuesday, NOAA said that the heaviest rainfall had shifted to Oahu.
In Oahu on Tuesday, neighbors stepped in to help others, including the Nahinu family of Waialua, who made meals for those who had been evacuated from their homes, KGMB/KHNL reported.
"We just felt that they needed something to eat because they can't go home and there's not a lot of restaurants open. So we just decided to make spaghetti for them," Lilinoe Nahinu told the outlet.