Hawaii flooding batters O'ahu and Maui as recovery begins after weeks of heavy storms

Hawaii flooding has left neighborhoods across O'ahu and Maui severely damaged after a series of storms that dumped up to four feet of rain in places, officials said on March 24, 2026. State and federal responders moved to secure communities and begin damage assessments as residents returned to find homes inundated or destroyed.

Governor Josh Green said the state is at the start of a long recovery after a pair of powerful storms. Evacuation orders were issued north of Honolulu and more than 200 people were rescued; members of the National Guard waded through waist‑deep water to aid stranded motorists and mudbound households. More than 2,000 customers lost power over the weekend, and satellite imagery showed flooded fields and muddy debris flowing into the ocean near Waialua.

The mainland impact on Maui included scoured riverbeds, damaged bridges and roads and submerged vehicles. Officials have not completed a full tally, but the governor said losses — including harm to airports, schools, roads, homes and a hospital in Kula — could exceed $1 billion, and his staff reported assurances of federal support. No storm‑related deaths have been reported. Residents, volunteers and local leaders, including Rep. Jill Tokuda, said the flooding compounds ongoing recovery from the wildfires two years earlier that killed 102 people, and that cleanup efforts around sites such as Otake Camp in Waialua continued on March 22.