Two back-to-back Kona Low storms struck Hawaii between March 10 and March 24, 2026, causing more than $1 billion in statewide damage and the state’s worst flooding in over 20 years. The disaster damaged 19,190 properties across five islands, forced the evacuation of 5,500 residents near a failing 120-year-old dam, and claimed one confirmed life.
Hawaii Flooding – Introduction
The 2026 Hawaii flooding ranks among the costliest natural disasters in state history, and it arrived in two waves rather than one. A first Kona Low storm system soaked Maui and the Big Island between March 10 and March 15, followed just days later by a second, stronger system that hit already-saturated ground across Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. Officials called the combined event the worst flooding Hawaii had seen since October 2004, when a flash flood tore through Oahu’s Manoa Valley and swamped the University of Hawaii’s main library.
What made the March 2026 storms so destructive was not any single record-breaking downpour but the sheer accumulation: one location on Maui recorded nearly 50 inches of rain during the first storm alone, Honolulu broke a daily rainfall record that had stood since 1951, and the ground across multiple islands was already saturated before the second system even arrived. The result was a disaster that touched nearly every inhabited island in the chain at once, closed roads and schools statewide, and pushed a century-old dam close enough to failure that thousands of residents had to evacuate with almost no warning.
Interesting Facts About the 2026 Hawaii Flooding
| Metric | 2026 Data Point |
|---|---|
| Total Statewide Damage | $1 billion+ (combined two storms) |
| Storm Period | March 10-24, 2026 (two Kona Low systems) |
| Properties Damaged Statewide | 19,190 |
| People Rescued | 230+ |
| Residents Evacuated (Wahiawā Dam risk) | 5,500 |
| Confirmed Fatalities | 1 (Maui, swept into ʻĪao River) |
| Peak Power Outages | 130,000+ |
| Federal Disaster Declaration | Approved April 7, 2026 (DR-4909-HI) |
Data Source: Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; FEMA Disaster DR-4909-HI; Cotality Hazard HQ Post-Event Analysis
These numbers describe a disaster that unfolded in stages rather than all at once. The first Kona Low alone caused an estimated $400 million in damage concentrated on Maui and the Big Island, and the second, stronger system pushed the combined statewide total past $1 billion as it tore through Oahu’s North Shore and circled back to hit Maui, Molokai, and Lanai a second time. 19,190 damaged properties spread across five islands makes this one of the most geographically widespread flood events in Hawaii’s recorded history, rather than a single-community disaster.
The human toll stayed remarkably contained given the scale of the property damage: 230-plus rescues and one confirmed fatality is a far better outcome than many comparably destructive mainland floods produce, a fact officials credited to early evacuation orders and aggressive use of the National Guard and fire department air assets. Still, the 5,500 people evacuated near the Wahiawā Dam and the 130,000-plus peak power outages show how close the event came to compounding into a genuine infrastructure catastrophe on top of the flood damage itself.
Hawaii Flooding 2026 | Timeline of the Two Kona Low Storms
| Storm | Dates | Islands Hit Hardest | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Kona Low | March 10-15, 2026 | Maui, Hawaii Island (Big Island) | ~$400 million |
| Second Kona Low | March 19-24, 2026 | Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lanai | ~$600 million+ |
| Combined Event | March 10-24, 2026 | Statewide, all major islands | $1 billion+ |
Data Source: National Weather Service Honolulu Forecast Office; Hawaii Department of Defense March 2026 Kona Low Records
The 2026 Hawaii flooding began as an upper-level trough parked northwest of the islands, a setup meteorologists call a Kona Low, which drew tropical moisture up from the south and squeezed it into heavy rain as it hit the islands’ mountainous terrain. The first disturbance moved through the western islands on March 10, a stronger line followed two days later, and the system did not fully clear until March 15, dumping a peak of 49.57 inches of rain at one location on Maui’s summit over that stretch. Damage from that first storm alone reached roughly $400 million, concentrated on Maui and the Big Island.
Barely four days after the first system eased, a second Kona Low arrived on March 19 and struck ground that had no time to dry out. This storm hit Oahu hardest, peaking around March 20 with the North Shore flooding and dam evacuation, before shifting back toward Maui, Molokai, and Lanai through March 21-22. By the time the second storm cleared on March 24, the combined statewide damage from both systems had pushed past $1 billion, and Governor Josh Green filed for a federal disaster declaration that same day.
Hawaii Flood Damage Statistics 2026 | Total Cost & Properties Affected
DAMAGED PROPERTIES BY ISLAND — 2026
Oahu ████████████████████████████████████████ 12,434
Big Island ████████████ 3,656
Maui ████████ 2,506
Molokai ██ 582
Lanai ▏ 12
| Category | 2026 Figure |
|---|---|
| Total Properties Damaged Statewide | 19,190 |
| Highway & Road Damage (preliminary) | $23 million+ |
| Statewide Agricultural Damage | $7 million (1,000+ acres affected) |
| Single Largest Farm Loss (Greenwell Farms, Big Island) | $10-11 million |
| Oahu Homes Deemed Uninhabitable | 260+ (17% of surveyed damage reports) |
Data Source: Cotality Hazard HQ Post-Event Property Analysis; Hawaii Department of Transportation Preliminary Damage Assessment; Honolulu Department of Emergency Management
Property-level analysis puts the statewide damage count at 19,190 properties, with Oahu absorbing nearly two-thirds of that total at 12,434 damaged homes and buildings, followed by the Big Island at 3,656, Maui at 2,506, Molokai at 582, and Lanai at just 12. A key driver of the severity was structural: roughly 62% of residential properties in the hardest-hit areas sit only 1 to 1.5 feet above ground level, meaning floodwater needed to rise barely a foot to breach living spaces, according to first-floor-height analysis of the affected homes.
On Oahu specifically, a Honolulu Department of Emergency Management survey of 1,600 voluntary damage reports found that 260 homes, or 17% of reported damage, were serious enough to leave the homes uninhabitable without major repairs, and officials cautioned that the true citywide figure is almost certainly higher since not every affected resident filed a report. Agricultural losses added another $7 million on top of the residential and infrastructure totals, led by Greenwell Farms, a 176-year-old Kona coffee operation on the Big Island that lost roughly 24,000 nursery trees and expects to lose half its annual crop.
Hawaii Flooding by Island 2026 | Oahu, Maui, Big Island & Molokai Impact
KEY ISLAND-LEVEL IMPACTS — 2026
Oahu: Homes Damaged ███████████████████ 12,434
Big Island: Homes Damaged ███████████ 3,656
Maui: Homes Damaged ████████ 2,506
| Island | Notable Impact |
|---|---|
| Oahu | North Shore submerged; Wahiawā Dam evacuation of 5,500 residents |
| Maui | Fatality at ʻĪao River; Lahaina wildfire-recovery zone under evacuation warning |
| Hawaii Island | Highway 11 impassable; Konawaena High School shifted to distance learning |
| Molokai | All public schools closed statewide-wide during flooding |
| Lanai | Flash flood warnings; smallest damage total of the five islands |
Data Source: Hawaii News Now; Honolulu Star-Advertiser; Maui Emergency Management Agency Storm Reports
Each island experienced the two storms differently. Oahu’s North Shore, the community famous worldwide for big-wave surfing, took the worst of the second storm as muddy floodwaters lifted homes and vehicles in Waialua and Haleʻiwa, the same towns placed under mandatory evacuation over the Wahiawā Dam. On the Big Island, Highway 11 became what witnesses described as “a raging river,” cutting off the communities of Pahala and Naalehu, while Kealakekua and Konawaena High School dealt with extensive mud and debris damage from runoff on the mountainside campus.
Maui carried a particular weight of concern because parts of Lahaina are still rebuilding from the devastating 2023 wildfire; evacuation warnings were issued for zones mauka of Honoapiilani Highway as sediment washed down from areas where reconstruction had barely begun. The island was also the site of the disaster’s only confirmed fatality. Anyone researching how this flooding compares to typical outdoor recreation risk on the islands’ rivers and trails may find useful context in Free National Parks Statistics in the US, since several of Hawaii’s national park units, including areas of Haleakalā, sit within the same watershed systems that flooded.
Wahiawā Dam Emergency 2026 | Evacuations & Near-Failure Risk
WAHIAWĀ DAM EMERGENCY — MARCH 20, 2026
Residents Evacuated ████████████████████████████████ 5,500
Age of Dam (years) ████████████████████████████████ 120
Prior Deficiency Notices (since 2009) ████ 4
| Metric | 2026 Data Point |
|---|---|
| Residents Under Mandatory Evacuation | ~5,500 (Haleʻiwa and Waialua) |
| Dam Age | ~120 years |
| Water Level When Evacuation Lifted | 82.6 feet |
| Deficiency Notices Since 2009 | 4 |
| Prior Fine for Safety Violations | $20,000 (2021) |
Data Source: Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources; Panditadata Disaster Intelligence Analysis
The single most acute moment of the entire disaster came on March 20, when rising water at the Wahiawā Dam, an earthen structure roughly 120 years old and owned by Dole, forced a mandatory evacuation of about 5,500 residents in Haleʻiwa and Waialua. The dam had a documented history of neglect: it collapsed once before, in 1921, and had received four notices of deficiency since 2009, including a $20,000 fine in 2021 for failing to address safety issues, with the first structural concerns flagged by an Army Corps of Engineers report as far back as 1978.
By late afternoon on March 20, water levels had receded to 82.6 feet, Dole confirmed the dam remained structurally sound, and the evacuation order was lifted the same day. The near-miss carried consequences beyond the immediate scare: Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources board moved to authorize a government takeover of the reservoir to fund overdue safety upgrades, a decision that reflects a broader vulnerability across the islands, where the state regulates 132 dams, most originally built as irrigation infrastructure for the now-defunct sugar cane industry.
Hawaii Flooding Rescues & Human Impact 2026 | Casualties & Displacement
| Metric | 2026 Data Point |
|---|---|
| Total People Rescued Statewide | 230+ |
| Airlifted from Spring Break Youth Camp (Oahu) | 72 |
| Emergency Shelters Activated | 24, sheltering 350+ people |
| Patients Evacuated from Kula Hospital, Maui | 112 |
| Confirmed Fatality | 1 (Songcha Wormley, 71, Maui) |
| Schools Closed Statewide | 13 |
Data Source: Hawaii News Now; Maui Police Department; Hawaii Fire Department Incident Reports
Search and rescue crews pulled more than 230 people to safety across the state during the two storms, including a dramatic operation on Oahu’s west coast where the National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults from a spring break youth camp at risk of being cut off by rising water. Twenty-four emergency shelters opened statewide, ultimately housing more than 350 people, while a Maui hospital in Kula had to evacuate 112 patients as floodwaters threatened the facility.
The disaster’s only confirmed fatality occurred on Maui on March 21, when 71-year-old Songcha Wormley was swept into the rapidly flowing ʻĪao (Wailuku) River near Waiehu Bridge while attempting to gather water from an encampment area. Police, fire, and ocean safety crews searched by land, water, and air for three days before suspending the search on March 24, citing muddy water, high river flows, and continued heavy rainfall. Beyond the human toll, 13 schools closed statewide, including every public school on Molokai, disrupting instruction for thousands of students across multiple islands. If you have been personally affected by a disaster like this, resources for coping with the emotional and financial strain are widely available through state and federal disaster case management programs, and it’s worth reaching out for support if you’re struggling.
Hawaii Flood Federal Disaster Response 2026 | FEMA Declaration & Assistance
| Date | Federal Action |
|---|---|
| March 24, 2026 | Gov. Josh Green requests federal disaster declaration |
| April 7, 2026 | President approves Major Disaster Declaration (DR-4909-HI) |
| April 10, 2026 | Secretary of Agriculture disaster declaration for farms/ranches |
| April 15, 2026 | FEMA formally affirms declaration, opens Individual Assistance |
| June 14, 2026 | Deadline for Individual Assistance applications |
Data Source: FEMA Disaster DR-4909-HI; Office of Governor Josh Green Press Releases
Federal disaster assistance took just over two weeks to materialize after Governor Green’s initial request, with the President approving a Major Disaster Declaration on April 7 covering the City and County of Honolulu, plus Hawaiʻi and Maui counties. That declaration unlocked both Individual Assistance, covering temporary housing, home repair grants, and low-interest disaster loans for residents, and Public Assistance, which reimburses state and county governments for emergency response costs and infrastructure repairs. A separate Secretary of Agriculture disaster declaration, approved April 10, extended support specifically to the farms and ranches affected across multiple islands.
The application window for Individual Assistance ran until June 14, 2026, though FEMA noted that late applications could still be considered in some circumstances given the scale of the event. Hawaii’s own emergency management agency simultaneously launched a Disaster Case Management Program, run in coordination with community organizations, to help residents navigate housing support and damage assessments beyond what federal assistance alone could cover, an acknowledgment that recovery from a disaster this widespread would stretch well past the initial response phase.
Hawaii Flooding 2026 vs Historical Storms | How It Compares
| Event | Year | Damage | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manoa Valley Flood (Oahu) | 2004 | $1 million+ | 0 |
| Kaloko Dam Break (Kauai) | 2006 | Significant, unquantified | 7 |
| March 2021 Hawaii Floods | 2021 | $49 million | 1 missing |
| Oahu New Year’s Eve Flood | Dec. 2025/Jan. 2026 | $35 million | 0 |
| 2026 Kona Low Floods | 2026 | $1 billion+ | 1 |
Data Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Billion-Dollar Disaster Database; Hawaii State Department of Defense; To-Hawaii.com Historical Records
Governor Green’s characterization of this as Hawaii’s worst flooding in more than 20 years points directly back to the 2004 Manoa Valley flood, which damaged the University of Hawaii’s main library and roughly 60 homes but caused only about $1 million in documented damage, a fraction of the 2026 total. Even the deadlier 2006 Kaloko Dam break on Kauai, which killed seven people, did not approach the geographic scope of the 2026 event. Between 1980 and 2024, NOAA’s records show only two weather or climate disasters in Hawaii’s history had ever crossed the billion-dollar damage threshold, one tropical cyclone and the 2023 Maui wildfires, meaning the March 2026 floods represent just the third billion-dollar disaster to hit the state in more than four decades, and the first billion-dollar flood specifically.
The comparison also reveals a troubling insurance gap. Hawaii counties have historically filed a combined 6,170 National Flood Insurance Program claims totaling $165.8 million, an average of under $27,000 per claim, figures that look small next to a single 2026 event now exceeding $1 billion in damage. That mismatch, combined with reports that many affected families lacked flood insurance entirely, points to a broader financial vulnerability that residents and policymakers are only beginning to reckon with; for context on how prepared American households generally are for a disaster of this scale, see Emergency Fund Statistics in US. Businesses like Greenwell Farms facing six- and seven-figure losses also illustrate a gap in commercial coverage that is explored further in Business Insurance Statistics in US.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2026 Hawaii Flooding
How much damage did the 2026 Hawaii flooding cause?
The combined two storms caused more than $1 billion in statewide damage, including roughly $400 million from the first storm and the remainder from the second, stronger system.
When did the Hawaii flooding happen in 2026?
The flooding occurred in two waves from two separate Kona Low storm systems between March 10 and March 24, 2026.
Why was this called Hawaii’s worst flooding in 20 years?
Officials, including Governor Josh Green, said the damage and scale exceeded anything the state had seen since the October 2004 Manoa Valley flood on Oahu.
Did the Wahiawā Dam fail during the 2026 flooding?
No. The 120-year-old dam was closely monitored and came close to failure on March 20, prompting a mandatory evacuation of 5,500 residents, but it held and was confirmed structurally sound.
How many people died in the 2026 Hawaii flooding?
One person, a 71-year-old woman on Maui, was confirmed as the disaster’s only fatality after being swept into the ʻĪao River on March 21.
How many properties were damaged in the 2026 Hawaii flooding?
An estimated 19,190 properties were damaged statewide, with Oahu accounting for the largest share at 12,434 damaged properties.
Did Hawaii receive federal disaster assistance for the 2026 floods?
Yes. The President approved a Major Disaster Declaration on April 7, 2026, covering Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, and Maui counties for both individual and public assistance.
How many people were rescued during the 2026 Hawaii flooding?
More than 230 people were rescued statewide, including 72 people airlifted from a spring break youth camp on Oahu.
Was this Hawaii’s only major flood in 2026?
No. An earlier, smaller Oahu New Year’s Eve flood in late December 2025 caused about $35 million in damage, well before the much larger March 2026 event.
How does the 2026 Hawaii flooding compare to other billion-dollar disasters in the state?
It is only the third billion-dollar weather or climate disaster to hit Hawaii since 1980, following one prior tropical cyclone and the 2023 Maui wildfires, and it is the state’s first billion-dollar flood event.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
