Infrastructure

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.

A landslide hit Oʻahu's Kamehameha Highway at the popular Waimea Bay over the weekend — the second landslide to hit that area, as repair crews were already on site trying to restabilize an earlier landslide caused by the first Kona low storm.

Muddy floodwaters smothered vast stretches of Oʻahu's North Shore on Friday, lifting homes and cars and prompting evacuation orders for 5,500 people. Meanwhile, authorities were cautioning that a 120-year-old dam upstream in Central Oʻahu could fail.

Army Maj. Gen. Lance Okamura shares a recent ceremony and exercise that was held at Kolekole Pass to test the road's function as an emergency evacuation route.

While the eastbound extensions of the rail are more highly anticipated, a short segment extending the west side of the rail further into Kapolei could be an easier job.

The Honolulu Chapter of the American Institute of Architects President Melanie Islam spoke to HPR's Kevin Allen about architectural barriers.