It seems as if we were just watching Lahaina burn, doesn't it?
Golly Nell.
And now, in the way that the fickleness of weather works, in the past few days, a pair of Kona storms has dumped over four feet of rain in some parts of the Hawaiian islands, leading to some of the most insane videos of unbelievable destruction and torrents of water cascading everywhere.
These are like something out of one of those jungle adventure movies you watched in the afternoon when you got home from school.
Catastrophic flood situation impacting Palolo Valley in Hawaii right now pic.twitter.com/MyCHdfZP2i
— Surajit (@surajit_ghosh2) March 24, 2026
Only they're real, and estimates of up to a billion dollars in damages are already being aired.
Now, the flooding isn't unprecedented, but authorities, including the governor, are saying it is the worst they've seen in decades, and the extent of the water's spread is simply astonishing.
The CBS Evening News has been doing a terrific job covering it from the onset.
Hawaii just took a direct hit, back-to-back Kona storms dumped up to 4 feet of rain.
— Corefrontline (@corefrontline) March 24, 2026
233 people rescued from rooftops and floodwaters. Thousands without power. Roads gone. Damage could top $1 BILLION.
Worst flooding in Hawaii in over 20 years.pic.twitter.com/ajs6wdP8Yg
The North Shore initially received the brunt of the downpours and had most of the damage, but then sirens for warnings and evacuation orders started sounding everywhere.
🌴 WHY ARE WE NOT HEARING ABOUT THIS??
— Maddie Evans (@EstieMaddie) March 22, 2026
🏝️ HAWAII IS UNDER WATER. pic.twitter.com/2cgGY8VVbd
Kona Lows (or Kona Storms) are seasonal meteorological events that can do some serious damage if everything lines up right, much like the Continental US's Noreaster or Pineapple Express.
A Kona Low is a winter low-pressure system that brings wind and rain from the south or southwest, often affecting the normally dry Kona side of the Big Island.
These storms trained in one after another within a few days, and the flood watches have been extended. The weather outlook is still very dicey, although they're hoping for a break towards the end of the week. They could use some drying-out time.
First Alert Forecast: Flood Watch extended for Maui and the Big Island, more heavy rain possible today #HNN #HINEWS #HawaiiNews https://t.co/QUhRDNH8ot
— Hawaii News Now (@HawaiiNewsNow) March 24, 2026
In the worst of times, the best of humanity always shines, and this ghastly event has been no different.
NEW: Teen saves a man and a dog from deep floodwaters in Hawaii, saves nearly 60 people with help from others.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 24, 2026
The media is fairly silent as Hawaii has been hit with the worst flooding in 20 years.
According to Hawaii's governor, Josh Green, the storm has caused at least… pic.twitter.com/kyThx6RBla
...18-year-old Raiden Wilson says his community came together and saved nearly 60 people.
Hero.
Naturally, our magnificent Coast Guard was on the job.
Relentless vigilance. Unifying leadership. Coordinated response.
— U.S. Coast Guard (@USCG) March 21, 2026
In response to catastrophic flooding in Oahu, @USCG and @USNavy aircrews rescued seven people and one dog in separate incidents yesterday in Waialua and Yokohama Bay.
Alongside our federal, state, and local… pic.twitter.com/DngogKNCbR
So many people have lost everything. In the CBS video above, eight people lived in one home that was swept away. Thankfully, they were all safe before it happened.
This 80-year-old couple saved up their entire lives, only to see the dream home they'd built a few years before taken by what had been the placid little stream next to the house.
Even the tourist hotspots weren't spared.
Hawaii’s worst rainstorm in decades, by the numbers:
— Paul White Gold Eagle (@PaulGoldEagle) March 23, 2026
• Up to 46 inches of rain in parts of Maui
• Oʻahu saw 20+ inches, triggering island-wide flooding
• Some spots got hit with 1 to 3 inches per hour
• Honolulu broke a rainfall record from 1951
• Kahului logged its… pic.twitter.com/IsqgNZMa2w
• 230+ people rescued from floodwaters
• 5,000 to 10,000+ people evacuated
• Over 100,000 homes lost power during the storm
• Damage already estimated at $1 Billion+
Officials are calling this the worst flooding in over 20 years.
This Kona low stalled over the islands, pulling in nonstop tropical moisture… and since the ground was already soaked from earlier storms, everything just turned into runoff instantly.
Help Hawaii recover by supporting local when businesses reopen. Be careful of fake fundraisers online. Respect the time and space needed to recover during natural disasters. Don't expect business as usual as soon as the rain stops. Mahalo to Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa for pitching in and helping the community.
In all of this wreckage of lives, I have yet to see a report of a life lost, and if that holds up, what an absolute miracle.
Neighbors are banding together to dig out and figure out a 'what's next' move.
...Hawaii is just beginning the recovery from a pair of massive storms that unleashed up to 4 feet of rain in parts of O'ahu and Maui over the past week, Gov. Josh Green said.
The latest storm prompted evacuation orders north of Honolulu, where officials said more than 200 people were rescued. In northern O'ahu, members of the National Guard trudged through waist-deep water to help stranded drivers and mudbound homeowners. More than 2,000 people were without power over the weekend.
...Hawaii is just beginning the recovery from a pair of massive storms that unleashed up to 4 feet of rain in parts of O'ahu and Maui over the past week, Gov. Josh Green said.
The latest storm prompted evacuation orders north of Honolulu, where officials said more than 200 people were rescued. In northern O'ahu, members of the National Guard trudged through waist-deep water to help stranded drivers and mudbound homeowners. More than 2,000 people were without power over the weekend.
...Among those displaced is Honolulu-born actor Jason Momoa. In a video posted to Instagram, the "Aquaman" actor said he and his family left the North Shore and the power had gone out.
"We're safe now, but there's a lot of people who weren't, so sending all our love," Momoa said.
Rescue efforts are also underway for the littlest members of households who might have been left behind in mad dashes for safety.
An entire litter of puppies was rescued by the Hawaiian Humane Society on Monday after the puppies' mother was killed by floods.
...Rescue operations are ongoing. Some pets remain stranded, and the Hawaiian Humane Society has stepped in to shelter a litter of orphaned puppies after their mother perished in the floods.
...Videos shared across social media showed rescue operations by the Humane Society and Good Samaritans alike to help pets stranded in the floods.
PET RESCUES 🐈⬛🐶: As heavy rain continues to impact Hawaii, the Hawaiian Humane Society’s field operations team has entered evacuation zones to help with pet recovery in Waialua. Footage shows team members wading through waist-deep floodwater to save the stranded animals. pic.twitter.com/iAg8WaUUCK
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) March 23, 2026
This is going to be an unbelievably hard challenge for these folks to rebuild when the rain stops. Getting materials to the island alone is a daunting exercise, and then there are the questions of how much the property has been changed by the flood - is it buildable still? Is it even there or washed away? Will they allow you to rebuild at all? There have been so many roadblocks thrown up in Lahaina, I can't see this being much different once steely-eyed local officials and environmental activists move in.
Not to mention, it's obviously been a repeated catastrophic floodplain at different points. What mitigation do they mandate as far as building requirements?
And the cost, sadly, is going to be insurmountable for so many who had that little slice of paradise from the time it was affordable, so maybe their whole family could live in that house together. Grow up there together.
Jeez Louise, I hate this.
But that no one died?
Gracious goodness and thank you, Lord.
If you want to help, all I can recommend is to watch out for the usual scammers, including telethons from well-meaning celebrities (think Oprah for Lahaina and the Palisade Fire debacle). You can designate your donations to Hawaii flood relief with organizations like Samaritan's Purse (I will never recommend the vultures at the Red Cross, not sorry). Maybe if you know someone on the island who has a favorite, or whoever someone like the Cajun Navy is partnering with, as they do their due diligence, too.
Beege ADDS: My good friend Chris in the comments, who spends quite a lot of time in the islands, also recommends the Maui Food Bank.
