Flooding in Hawaii

Things in Laie, Hawaii, are “returning to normal” after severe flooding isolated the small community and caused extensive damage.

“People are handling it well; we’re grateful it wasn’t worse than it was,” reported Alton L. Wade, president of BYU—Hawaii and spokesman for the Hawaii Church Coordinating Council. The university is located in Laie, where both students and university facilities were tested during the flooding.

According to Sister Napua Baker, director of university relations, the storm began the weekend of March 17, and by midweek, water was several feet deep. The community received almost twenty inches of rain in one twenty-four hour period. “Rain was coming down in sheets,” recalled President Wade. “The water came down the mountains, across the campus, through the community, and into the ocean. I remember on Wednesday morning [March 20] walking down one of the main roads in water up to my pants pockets.”

Damage was reported in about twenty faculty homes, forty-five married-student apartment units, one multipurpose chapel and meetinghouse, and a large building that houses computer science classrooms and laboratories.

“We were fortunate that the water reached only about a foot high” in the campus buildings, Sister Baker explained. “Almost all of the damage was confined to carpet and flooring, tile, and a few cabinets and walls. We were able to salvage most of the equipment and personal belongings.”

Others in the community were not so fortunate. The university campus is located on higher ground than many residential areas, where people were forced out of their homes. Initial estimates of damage to the community are in the millions.

“Besides the loss of personal property and belongings, the big story was the way the community pulled together,” President Wade pointed out. School was cancelled for two days, and approximately eight hundred BYU—Hawaii students scoured the community looking for ways to help. “They went from door to door doing all they possibly could,” he explained.

In addition, the Cannon Activities Center on campus opened its doors and served as a shelter for those who were temporarily homeless. “At one point, we had 180 people in the center,” President Wade said. Cots, blankets, and meals were provided.

Because all roads into Laie were flooded, it was almost two days before any outside help could reach the community. “We relied on the resources we had right here,” President Wade said. “It gave us a chance to put into practice what we so often preach—serving our fellowman.”

The Hawaii Temple was not damaged in the flooding, reported Donald L. Hallstrom, regional representative for the Oahu Hawaii North Region. However, two of the theaters in the visitors’ center and one meetinghouse sustained minor damage.