Hundreds of people have been evacuated from flood-stricken areas of the Hawaiian island of Kauai after severe rain struck over the weekend, leaving swaths of land underwater.
Rain and flooding Saturday night caused multiple mudslides, as well as power and water outages.
One low-lying area was issued with an evacuation notice over fears a dam would burst, and the Kuhio Highway in the city of Hanalei was closed.
The Kauai Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) said multiple landslides "continuously engulfed the roadway from 2 p.m. local time (8 p.m ET) Saturday."
Hawaii Governor David Ige issued an emergency proclamation for the County of Kauai late Sunday due to the damage from "the severe, sudden and extraordinary event of heavy rains and flooding."
"For context, the town of Wainiha, Kauai, recorded a staggering 822 mm of rainfall in just 48 hours," CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri said. "That amount of rainfall would climatologically take nearly 18 months to fall in London and over 24 months to fall in Los Angeles."
Emergency rescue crews have evacuated 152 people by helicopter, 121 by bus and others by water, Ige's office said Monday. Gov. Ige and Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho flew with military and county emergency crews over heavily damaged regions in the Hanalei District, including Wainiha and Haena, seeing "the swollen Hanalei River, flooded neighborhoods and farmlands," according to the governor's office.
"Damage is very extensive in this area. The immediate problem is access. Several landslides are blocking roads into the communities. Crews are working to restore access to the Hanalei District, but it will take some time. We are establishing landing zones for aircraft. The Hawaii National Guard has deployed two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, two CH-47 Chinooks, eight Zodiacs and more than 45 soldiers and airmen to support rescue efforts, and to get medical aid and necessary supplies to the area," Ige said.