UPDATE: Search and rescue operation underway after several homes swept off foundations in Ka‘ū District

A search and rescue effort is underway in the Ka‘ū District after several homes were swept off their foundations Saturday night during flash flooding caused by Hurricane Lala.

Hawai‘i County Mayor Kimo Alameda posted an update about the developing situation in Nā‘ālehu and Wai‘ohinu, saying there is a joint search effort underway with Hawai‘i County Civil Defense, Fire and Police Departments, Public Works, Hawai‘i National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Emergency responders initiated search-and-rescue operations for people who had called 9-1-1 but were not reachable due to flooding. No evacuation orders were issued, the county said at 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Rising floodwaters have cut off road access in the community in Kaʻū, and the county has received reports of homes being inundated. National Guard high-water vehicles are being deployed to access flooded neighborhoods, and a Coast Guard helicopter is being utilized to provide air evacuations.

“What makes this very challenging is that there’s rushing water, there’s debris and there’s boulders in the road and it’s dark,” Alameda said after midnight on Sunday in a Faceook video post.

Hawai‘i County also confirmed one fatality amid the impacts of the hurricane following a two-car crash Saturday in Ocean View. There also were about five rescues of people from vehicles after becoming stranded.

Any residents assisted by this operation were being taken to the following designated locations: Robert N. Herkes Gym in Pāhala and the area’s Department of Public Works base yard in Waiʻihinu.

“We’re doing everything we can that make sure our people there are safe and we’re going to keep working hard to make sure everyone is accounted for,” Alameda said.

At 9:53 p.m. on Saturday, the National Weather Service reported that two homes had been swept away in the Ka‘ū District and urged residents to get to higher ground.

“Our highest priority is the safety of our residents,” Alameda said in a statement at 3 a.m. Sunday. “This is a joint operation between multiple County agencies – including Civil Defense, police, fire and public works – and our partners to ensure everyone is safe and accounted for. We ask residents in impacted neighborhoods to cooperate with these efforts and avoid entering flood waters. This is an unfolding situation, and we will provide updates as the situation progresses.”

The National Weather Service has extended its flash flood warning until 4 a.m. Rain were falling at a rate of 3 to 5 inches per hour at around 10 p.m. but have decreased to 1 to 2 inches per hour. Flash flooding is ongoing, with additional heavy rain bands expected over the next several hours.

Some locations that will experience flash flooding include Wood Valley, Pāhala, Punalu‘u Beach, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Kawa Flats, Volcano, Nā‘ālehu, Glenwood, Hawaiian Ocean View, Mountain View and Wai‘ohinu.

“This is a particularly dangerous situation,” the National Weather Service states in its Saturday advisory. “Seek higher ground now!”