Hawaii storms have caused $1bn in damage, governor says

7 hours agoKayla EpsteinSan Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesTwo teenagers surf next to a disabled vehicle in flood water in Waialua, Hawaii on FridayHawaii's storm has already cost some $1bn (£752m) in damages, officials say, after two consecutive storms dropped as much as 50in (127cm) of rain on parts of the state and murky brown flood waters submerged some sections of the island of Oahu."There were camps that had to be rescued, people were trapped by the water," said Green. "The coast guard also pulled people off of debris out in the ocean."He said the White House is in contact with his office and described officials in Washington as "very supportive".Officials have said the flooding in the state is the worst since 2004. On Sunday morning local time, officials began to stand down some evacuation and flash flood warnings on Oahu, but other parts of the state remained under threat.Part of the Kuihelani Highway on Maui was temporarily closed overnight due to "fast moving water", the Hawaii-department-of-transportation" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="54246" data-entity-type="organization">Hawaii Department of Transportation posted on X, but had reopened by Sunday. Other roadways on the island experienced rockfalls on Saturday, the Hawaii DOT posted.Green said the full scope of the damages have yet to be assessed and warned residents to continue to be careful on the roads. "There's still major flooding all over the place, do not drive through deep water," he said.He said Maui county is expecting eight to 10in of rain over the next couple of days. He also cautioned people against boating between islands as the storm rolls through.The Hawaii-national-guard" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="47205" data-entity-type="organization">Hawaii National Guard remains stationed at the 120-year-old Wahiawa dam to monitor the water levels after officials feared it could spill over and ordered nearby residents to evacuate. Water levels at the dam stabilised over the weekend.Mikey, a resident of the Oahu town of Wahiawa, told Hawaii News Now that floodwaters woke him and his wife up after midnight on Saturday."About 12:30 I woke up and the floor was wet, and when I opened the bedroom door water came rushing in," he said.The water "broke down the fence and broke down the door and came into our house. We were up to here in water," he said, gesturing towards his stomach.After the sun came up, "we watched the water recede little by little" before the fire department arrived, Mikey said."We've lost everything," Mikey said. "Seriously, the water was up to my chest."Jason Momoa, the Game of Thrones and Aquaman actor, said that his family had to evacuate their home on the North Shore of Oahu due to the storm."We're safe for now but there's a lot of people who weren't, so sending all of our love," Momoa posted on Instagram Stories, Variety reported. "The conditions on the North Shore are gnarly."