Neglected North Shore Plantation Waterways Fueled Damaging Hawaii Floods

Neglected North Shore Plantation Waterways Fueled Damaging Hawaii Floods

Sarah Ghio leans on the rear bumper of her dead silver SUV, taking a sip of juice to wet her chapped lips.

City worker speaks up at a North Shore meeting over storm emergency response

Kathleen Pahinui was one of hundreds of residents who fled severe flooding and a potential dam failure on Oʻahu's North Shore. She’s a longtime Waialua resident, right in the evacuation zone of the Wahiawā Dam.

Neglected North Shore Plantation Waterways Fueled Damaging Floods

Sugar and pineapple acreage was sold off over the years, divided into hundreds of smaller plots for farming and housing. After the deluge, everyone is pointing fingers.

Scrutiny of Kaukonahua Stream grows after the devastating North Shore flooding | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

As muddy water tore through homes along Kaupe Road last weekend, residents say the disaster felt both sudden and long in the making — a crisis fueled not just by a powerful Kona-low storm, but by years of neglect and fragmented responsibility along the Kaukonahua Stream.

Neglected North Shore Plantation Waterways Fueled Damaging Floods Sugar and pineapple acreage was sold off over the years, divided into hundreds of smaller plots for farming and housing. After the deluge, everyone is pointing fingers.

Neglected North Shore Plantation Waterways Fueled Damaging Floods