Infrastructure

Hawaiʻi’s top officials held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the transfer of the Wahiawā Dam from Dole Food Co. to state control.

HPR spoke with Melissa Pavlicek, the executive director of the Hawaiʻi Harbor Users Group, about the extended Jones Act waiver and why major shipping carriers support the federal statute.

The board of the Agribusiness Development Corp. voted to acquire the Wahiawā dam and spillway along with authorizing its executive director to negotiate the transfer with the dam’s current owners.

The Trump administration has announced that federal disaster assistance is available to help with recovery efforts following two Kona low storm systems that hit last month.

This upcoming vote will come weeks after the dam came within three feet of overtopping during the back-to-back Kona low storms.

Following the Kona low storms that tested the Wahiawā Dam, the state is taking steps to acquire the structure. The state would be responsible for the maintenance and repair of the 125-year-old dam, which is not up to state standards.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with state and local officials, is assessing the damage from the historic floods due to back-to-back Kona Low storms. HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports on how the state budget will need to adjust to accommodate flood recovery efforts.

HECO Vice President Jim Kelly discusses storm-related blackouts and what it's taken to restore power.

Historian and author Carol MacLennan explains the history of the Wahiawā Dam and why the state has looked to acquire it.

Gov. Josh Green said he has put in a formal request for a presidential major disaster declaration so that the federal government will be able to cost-share with the state and county on recovery efforts.