UH flood costs
top $50M

Sen. Daniel Inouye urges
officials not to hold back
in estimating damage
for federal relief

Damage costs from the Halloween-eve flood at the University of Hawaii-Manoa will top $50 million, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye estimated after touring the campus yesterday.

Inouye, who was briefed on the cleanup effort, urged UH officials not to hold back when calculating the damage. He said the state usually gets what it asks in federal relief because Hawaii residents typically underestimate disaster damage.

"That's the nature of people in Hawaii," he said. "They say, 'No it's not that bad. We can get along without it.'" Inouye (D-Hawaii) urged UH Interim President David McClain to include every conceivable cost associated with the flood.

"We will not be shy about estimating our damages," McClain said. "We are certainly going to count everything that was damaged -- buildings, contents, work lost. We need to do that to be responsible to the taxpayers, to the people of Hawaii."

Previously, UH officials have said damage could exceed the university's $25 million flood insurance coverage and that they might have to turn to the state to pay for the rest.

Inouye said $25 million is "below target. Damages are much higher than what they have."

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye talked to the media outside the UH Biomedical Building yesterday after he toured the flood damage. With him were state Sen. Clayton Hee (D, Kahuku-Kaneohe), left, UH Interim President David McClain and state Sen. Brian Taniguchi (D, Moiliili-Manoa).

Friday was the deadline for UH-Manoa colleges, departments, divisions and other entities to submit damage reports to the president's office.

"I got the first big number, but I'm waiting for others," said UH Chief of Staff Sam Callejo. "People asked for extensions because there is so much information."

Callejo said the estimates he has received already exceed $25 million.

The state is also waiting for the damage estimates to determine whether it will ask for a federal disaster declaration, said State Civil Defense Vice-Director Edward Teixeira.

Such requests need to be submitted within 30 days. Teixeira said the state received a 30-day extension and might seek another extension.

Should the state receive a disaster declaration from President Bush, UH would be a good candidate for federal disaster relief assistance, Teixeira said.

Gov. Linda Lingle has already declared Manoa Valley and the rest of Oahu a state disaster area because of heavy rains and flooding Oct. 30 through Nov. 7.

Inouye also toured portions of Manoa Stream where floodwaters overflowed the banks, and asked state officials whether residents along the stream were willing to extend title of the stream bed to the state "so the (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers can do something instead of just studies."

The state owns the stream but the banks are private property.

State Sen. Brian Taniguchi (D, Moiliili-Manoa) said the sentiments of property owners are mixed.

The flood caused extensive damage to more than 100 homes.

The state administration is exploring ways to prevent a recurrence, such as constructing sediment- and water-retention basins along the stream, raising bridges and building up stream beds.

State officials are also considering raising Woodlawn Drive to prevent floodwaters from using the roadway as a thoroughfare, said Eric Hirano, state Department of Land and Natural Resources chief engineer.

Hirano said the administration would ask the Corps of Engineers to expand its flood-control study for Ala Wai and Waikiki to include Makiki, Manoa and Palolo. He said the change will add $2.2 million to the cost of the study, and he hopes to split the difference with the city.