Pounding Rains Cause Mudslides, Headaches In Hawaii

Torrential rains pounded Hawaii again Friday, causing flooding and scattered power outages as authorities used dogs to make sure no one was buried in mudslides.

Rain has fallen steadily since Nov. 5 but worsened late this week as about 30 people were evacuated briefly on Oahu, home to Honolulu. Twenty-one inches of rain has fallen on parts of Oahu this month, 17 inches above normal.

The 14.9 inches on Oahu this month is more than the island received all of last year and it’s the wettest month since 17 inches fell in December 1987.

President Clinton was due to arrive late Friday for a weekend stopover that included a few rounds of golf - if the weather cooperates. Parts of Oahu received 3 inches in just six hours Thursday morning.

The downpour caused a mudflow that wrapped cars around trees and left some vehicles hanging off the edge of a parking ramp. At one apartment complex, residents woke up to the sound of sliding mud and boulders.

“All of a sudden the lights went out,” said Sylvia Bishop, who lives in Makaha Valley Towers. “When they came back on, we heard a crash and saw the landslide coming down, picking up cars on the way.”

Police dogs searched the area but no one was missing. No injuries were reported.

Near Honolulu, mud and debris fell off cliffs in Waikiki and onto one of two highways linking the east and west sides of the island.

The rain, which earlier postponed the PGA Grand Slam of Golf tournament and shut down courses Friday, is expected to slacken Sunday.