HEAVY RAIN, SURF SLAM WINDWARD OAHU

[tropicana]

SUN NOV 30 2003
Heavy rain, surf
slam Windward Oahu
The National Weather Service
reports rain fell at more than
2 inches an hour at one point

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By Mary Vorsino
mvorsino@starbulletin.com

Heavy rain and high surf battered Windward Oahu and Molokai Saturday, closing highways, cutting power to a shopping center and causing minor flooding in several homes.

National Weather Service forecasters expected the front to move offshore overnight, but scattered showers could continue for the next few days.

During the peak of the storm, more than 2 inches of rain an hour fell on parts of Windward Oahu, said National Weather Service lead forecaster Robert Ballard.

The weather service issued flash-flood warnings for East Oahu Saturday afternoon and evening.

High-surf warnings continued Saturday night for the east-facing shores, and high-surf advisories were issued for the north-facing shores of all islands, where surf was reported as high as 20 feet.

An urban and small stream advisory was also issued for east Maui and east Molokai Saturday.

Kaneohe Marines helped rescue two University of Hawaii students whose 20-foot sailboat overturned outside Kaneohe Bay Saturday, according to the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Public Information Office.

One student was found with the boat while the other was found clinging to a marker in the channel. The students were treated for their injuries at the Queen's Medical Center and Castle Medical Center.


The rain affected traffic on Oahu and Molokai.

Police closed Kamehameha Highway between Waiahole Valley and Waikane Valley roads near the Waikane Bridge at 4:15 p.m. Saturday because of flooding. The road was reopened in the early evening and then closed again at 9:15 p.m. The highway was also closed briefly at Waihee Road in Kahaluu at about the same time.

Kamehameha IV Highway on Molokai was closed from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. near mile marker 5 when a stream overflowed.

Police also closed Kaneohe-bound lanes of the Likelike Highway about 5:20 p.m. because of a traffic accident related to the rain. There were no major injuries and the highway was reopened within an hour.

Showings of "The Cat in the Hat" and other movies at the Koolau Stadium 10 in the Koolau Center were interrupted by a power outage about 3 p.m., possibly due to rain. Hawaiian Electric Co. said the outage affected the entire shopping center and more than 2,000 residents. Power still hadn't been restored by 9:45 last night.

Another 3,700 customers in the Punchbowl area lost power for more than an hour earlier in the day, said Hawaiian Electric spokesman Jose Dizon.

Minor flooding was reported in about 16 Oahu homes in Kaneohe, Kailua and the North Shore, said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Emmit Kane.

A koi pond overflowed at the Puu Alii housing complex on Kiowa Street in Kaneohe, sending water into three apartments, the fire department said.

"I was freaked out," said homeowner Katherine Nohr. "I imagined I'd be swimming in all that rain."

Neighbor Madeline Gibo's living room carpet was ruined when water seeped over her lanai and into her home.

-justin-