As the Championship Tour kicked off its 2026 season last week, Hawaii was is in cleanup mode. On the week of 10 March, Oahu’s North Shore went to bed, knowing a storm was forecasted to hit. What they didn’t know was that the Kona low would deliver the worst flooding the island had suffered in 20 years.
On 10 March, the first Kona low storm hit Oahu, lasting several days and delivering over 12 inches of rain. Low-lying areas like Haleiwa and Wailua were hit hard, with significant flooding infiltrating homes and causing significant damage. Many fled their homes and once the rain slowed, they returned to begin clean-up efforts. The worst, they thought, was over.
Less than a week later, the second Kona low struck.
That Thursday night, Haleiwa resident Callie Stephenson drove home from dinner through heavy rain. When she arrived home, she gave her partner, Shane, a hug, noting that the drive was a scary one. Rain is frequent in Hawaii and that night wasn’t expected to be anything out of the ordinary, but they decided to prepare anyway. They lifted everything off the ground outside and tied their surfboards to the racks before calling it a night.
“We were exhausted and we went to sleep,” says Stephenson. “We don’t have our phones with us in bed, so we didn’t get the flash flood alert that went off at 11:30. I woke up and heard our neighbor screaming and he was pushing his kids out on a paddleboard through chest-deep water.”
According to reports, weather patterns were unpredictable on the night of 19 March. Only a few inches of rain were expected overnight, and many took city officials and weather forecasters at their word that the storm would be less severe than the previous one. At 11:39 PM, a warning was issued by the National Weather Service of a “dangerous and life-threatening situation.”
By 1am, much of Wailua and Haleiwa were underwater. Ground floors were submerged in three-to-four feet of water and vehicles were incapacitated. Despite no evacuation order being issued, people mounted paddleboards and surfboards to flee their homes. Some climbed to their roofs, some attempted to start their cars, and some decided to swim for their lives.
At her home in Haleiwa, Stephenson put on her rain boots, flipped off the breakers in her home, and dialed 911. Emergency operators informed her that they could not get to them to help and instructed them to shelter in place. The couple climbed to the roof over their lanai with their dog, Eddie, and sent a message to their parents.
“I remember texting our parents that we loved them, saying that we weren’t safe but that we were going to try and make the best decisions we could to be safe,” Stephenson recalls.
At 4:30 A.M., the tsunami sirens went off. Stephenson assumed it meant the Wahiawā dam had broke. If her assumption was correct, they’d be dead. Stephenson dialed 911 again and the couple decided it was time to chance swimming to their boat to see if they could drive it off its trailer. That’s when rescue arrived in the form of two local heroes, driving a backhoe.
“The backhoe was driven by Ryan Wilson and his son Rayden Wilson,” says Stephonson. “There are a lot of guys who deserve recognition for saving lives, but those are the two who saved us.”
At 5:30 AM, Honolulu officials finally issued an evacuation order. Rescue efforts persisted, mainly by locals driving backhoes, delivering residents to the safety of shelter at Waialua High School. By 8:30 AM, the Wahiawā reservoir had risen to 85 feet, just three feet below the height of the Wahiawā Dam. An HNL alert was issued, stating that dam failure was imminent, and they evacuated the shelter. If the 120-year-old dam broke, thousands could die. Luckily, it held.
Across the island, emotions were at an all-time high. Local heroes and rescuers were celebrated, and North Shore residents proved the strength of their community by supporting one another. But a lot of anger was directed at city officials for not having a plan in action and for not issuing an evacuation order until it was too late.
The North Shore wasn’t the only place that suffered from the Kona low. On the island of Oahu, Makaha was hit hard, as was Manoa. Maui and the Big Island also experienced severe flooding, but nowhere was the damage so catastrophic as the North Shore of Oahu. Damages are reported to be upwards of 1 billion dollars across the islands of Hawaii.
Once the storms finally subsided, residents slowly began making their way home to assess the damage. There was mud everywhere. Homes were waterlogged, businesses were demolished, belongings were destroyed, and cars were totaled. But somehow, spirits weren’t broken.
“We lost everything that was on the ground floor of my house and basically everything that was on the main floor,” says Stephenson. “I had nine surfboards and my partner had one. We found six of them, all but two had been dinged beyond repair.”
Despite the severe damage, no deaths were reported. Residents banded together to begin repairs and volunteers from across the island lent a helping hand. Those who couldn’t physically help delivered donations and funds. The light in the darkness throughout the entire catastrophe was undoubtedly the strength of the community.
“It’s so magical to watch people want to help their community and do an unreal job,” says North Shore resident Michelle Manganello. “There is no professional help up here, it’s just us showing up for each other. It’s really cool to see how much the community is still standing up for each other.”
On April 10, another Kona Low hit Oahu, and with it, another wave of fear. That afternoon, an evacuation order went into effect for Otake Camp in Wailua but was lifted that night due to improved water levels. The storm delivered some flooding and landslides, but nothing compared to the previous storms. Although the North Shore isn’t quite in the clear, it seems the worst has passed.
The people of Hawaii are strong, and together they will rebuild. It will be tough, it will be long, but through the spirit of aloha, they will persevere.
If you want to donate to relief efforts, consider the following:
