Kauai search for 4 missing may end today
LIHUE » The search continued yesterday for four people still missing from last week's Ka Loko Dam breach, but officials said the 40-member Hawaii's Urban Search and Rescue Task Force may end its efforts today.
Kauai firefighters in helicopters also joined the search yesterday, doing flyovers along the Kilauea coastline, while other firefighters and lifeguards searched by boat.
Personnel from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, police and fire departments, and the National Guard also joined the effort.
Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste said the search will likely end today. He met with the families of the missing to express to them that "everything possible was being done to find their loved ones," said Mary Daubert, county public information officer.
Elsewhere on Kauai, flooding and minor mudslides were reported but no roads were closed. Officials warned drivers to be careful because saturated conditions may lead to mud and rock slides, especially with any more rain.
In Anahola, water was accumulating on Kuhio Highway, so public works personnel brought pumps to drain it. Road crews were also dispatched to the south shore to remove sand on Pee Road and clear the debris that clogged a section of Waikomo Stream in Koloa.
After several days of pumping water and removing an 18-inch layer of mud from Kokee Road, the only way for buses to get to Waimea Canyon, it was reopened late yesterday afternoon.
Disaster Assistance Recovery Centers will also be set up for Friday in Kilauea and Saturday in Kalaheo, officials said.