Civil Defense Response to Flooding

On the evening of Saturday, October 30, 2004, a freak rainstorm caused flooding in Manoa valley. I was called to assist at a traffic post on Dole St., which was blocked by mud and debris. In the image below, which was taken from a VHS recording of the end of the 10 pm KHNL newscast from that night, Sharon Chen is doing a live broadcast from a remote truck parked on the lawn in front of Bachman Hall. On the left side of the image is front-right quarter my vehicle, which is blocking the eastbound lanes of Dole St. at University Avenue. You can see the flash from the rotating halogen beacon on the roof. I am most likely off the left side of the frame, stopping cars from turning right from University Ave. onto Dole.

Screen capture of KHNL newscast

Enlarged image of my vehicle in background

The next day, I learned the awful truth of the magnitude of the destruction. The heavy rains caused the debris-filled Manoa stream to overflow, causing massive flood damage to homes and a school farther back in Manoa valley. A concrete foot bridge across the stream was washed away, as were cars in and around the Manoa Marketplace shopping center. A "chest-high" mass of water surged down the valley floor -- across the UH-Manoa campus -- leaving mud and destruction in its path. Several buildings on the campus sustained serious damage, including Hamilton Library. Water filled the ground level of Hamilton library, causing massive destruction of collections and equipment, tossing furniture, knocking out walls, and breaking doors and windows. The electrical and mechanical rooms were flooded. Water damage extended to the next floor above. Also destroyed on the ground floor was the facility of my alma mater, the graduate Library and Information Science program. I went up there that day to see if I could help. We ended up finding library materials and equipment as far away as the parking structure across campus.


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Rev. Nov. 7, 2004