Oahu Flood Leaves 175 Homeless
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HONOLULU — Federal experts joined state and county engineers Sunday to assess the damage from the New Year’s Eve flash floods that forced 2,800 people from their homes and caused an estimated $29 million in damage.
“Our latest figures show one house totally destroyed, 53 with major damage and 477 with minor damage,” Paul Takamiya, education and training officer for the Oahu Civil Defense Agency, said Sunday. “We have 175 individuals listed as homeless.”
No injuries were reported despite the force of water from a foot of rain that ripped down steep-sided valleys, carrying boulders and trees and tossing cars around like toys, Takamiya said.
But the floods on the eastern side of Oahu did kill livestock in the rural community of Waimanalo, authorities said.
Gov. John D. Waihee III said he may declare a major part of an area east of Honolulu a disaster area.
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