First reports out of the Kilauea area on the North Shore of Kaua‘i early today indicate that an earthen dam gave way on Morita Reservoir near the 21 mile marker of Kuhio Highway.
Reports indicated a 50-foot wall of water laden with debris shortly after 5 a.m....
as many as five homes may have been washed away. One of them was occupied by seven people at the time.
There are two evacuation centers set up by the Red Cross. One is at Kula School on Kapuna Road at the 19 mile marker. The other is at Kilauea Neighborhood Center on Kahalou in Kilauea.
Awful
On the above page is a link to a "HIGH QUALITY TOPO MAP".
I am only about 4 miles from the reservoir that was breeched. And there is another reservoir that drains into the Kalihiwai River that is structurally unsound, and has been since the Corp of Engineers assessed it after Iniki. If that one goes, there will be another disaster. Reportedly, the 60 ft high Kuhio Highway bridge over the Kalihiwai River has experienced some scouring around the foundations. As a structural engineer, this is normally accounted for by deep drilled concrete piers into bedrock. But this is the 3rd world corrupt state of Hawaii where half-assed is deemed OK, so who knows.
Prayers for ALL involved!!!