HONOLULU (KHON2) — Even though it packed good punch, some say the storm didn’t hit as hard as they expected, which is a good thing. But that doesn’t mean there were no problems.
Looking at the sky, you wouldn’t think it was storming here just 24 hours ago. But residents across Oahu are cleaning up.
In Ewa Beach, Leo Vlachakis is reliving a nightmare. His home flooded on election night, and again Thursday.
“You know the sand builds up, and it blocks the canal from being able to empty into the ocean, and when that happens, the storm drains block up and all it can do is overflow at that point, so the water has no where to go,” Vlachakis said. “It’s supposed to empty into the ocean, and it all goes up and over and coming into our house the last two times.”
Debris is scattered outside his home. And inside, they’re salvaging what they can.
“The water’s all under the floors and it’s unfortunate cause they’re brand brand new,” Vlachakis said.
Vlahchakis said the most frustrating part is that renovations were about two weeks away from being done. And now after Thursday’s storm, they’re gonna have to start from square one.
City officials say they worked to clear the stream mouth multiple times before Thursday’s storm.
In East Honolulu, crews with DLNR had to clear the boat ramps at Maunalua Bay. Both sides were full of debris and vegetation.
On the Windward side, residents lined up at the Kapaa Transfer Station after clearing their yards.
“Last night was dumping pretty hard and I got a lot of leaves to throw away now,” said Jimmie Hayworth, Windward resident. “Cut down the mango tree little bit. Still got lots of loads to go.”
And hundreds across Oahu were still dealing with power outages.
“So yeah it was tough for the young ones,” said Jeff Vaughn, Kahaluu resident. “They struggled without internet for a while, but we had to hang out and talk to each other for a while so that was kinda fun.”