In 2000, A Massive Flood Swept Through Hawaii That No One Can Ever Forget
By Megan Shute|Published March 27, 2019
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Megan Shute
Author
With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.
While the Hawaiian Islands may be immune to select natural disasters — including blizzards and tornadoes — we still battle threats of volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and hurricanes on a regular basis. Perhaps the most common natural disaster faced in Hawaii, however, is flooding. Because so many areas of the Aloha State are situated at sea level, flooding is common — even if rainfall totals don’t appear terribly extreme when compared with floods on the United States mainland.
Today, we’re talking about one of the greatest floods in Hawaii’s history. Not only was the flash flood that occurred in early November 2000 fed by the Big Island’s largest single-day rainfall ever recorded but it was the second largest 24-hour total in the state’s history.
A perfect storm of several factors combined to cause historic rainfall, including extremely moist low-level air provided by the remnants of a tropical cyclone, cool and divergent air aloft to support thunderstorm development, and mountainous terrain that triggered and anchored the core of the thunderstorm.
On the night of November 1, 2000, heavy rainfall started over the Hilo area before shifting into the Puna and Ka’u districts on the morning of November 2. The intense rainfall quickly overwhelmed existing stream channels and carved our new channels where none existed previously.
At the storm’s peak, 4.56 inches of rainfall was recorded in a single hour at the Hilo International Airport, and 37.02 inches in 24 hours at Kapapala ranch, 22.25 inches of which were recorded in just six hours.
Luckily, although the press reported several water rescues, there were no serious injuries or deaths as a result of this intense flash flood. Total damage was estimated to be approximately $70 million, mostly to roads, bridges, and other infrastructure (2000 USD; $102 million 2019 USD). Many bridges along the Mamalahoa Highway were destroyed, cutting off the only direct route between the city of Hilo and the town of Pahala.
Nearly 300 homes were destroyed or damaged according to the American Red Cross, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that more than 2,000 people registered for disaster assistance. Though it's been less than 20 years since this historic flood, we imagine that no one will ever forget the destruction it caused to Hawaii Island.
So, tell us, do you remember this historic flood? Share your experiences in the comments below, then click here to learn all about the devastating storm that struck Hawaii eight years earlier in 1992: Hurricane Iniki.
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