COURTESY OF STATE DLNR Last month's Ka Loko Dam breach on Kauai swept away two houses and killed seven people.

Governor seeks declaration from president for storm aid

Lingle points to $50M storm damage estimates

GOV. Linda Lingle sought a presidential disaster declaration yesterday to help cover the esimated $50 million in storm damage after six weeks of incessant heavy rains that caused major flooding and destruction*.

State officials hope President Bush will issue the declaration, which would allow federal funding, services and programs to help residents -- particularly on Kauai and Oahu -- hit by the heavy rains from Feb. 20 to April 2.

"The people of Hawaii and the community pulled together, and they were really shy about asking for aid," said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general and Civil Defense director. "We've had to go back out, time and time again, after every heavy rainstorm. Unlike some parts of the country, people in Hawaii tell the truth when they ask for aid."

The "six-week period with lack of a recovery period" provided unusual circumstances, Lee said. He expects Federal Emergency Management Agency aid will be granted because of the "unique nature of this emergency over a long period of time."

Lee said likely recipients of federal help include those whose homes were heavily damaged by landslides, repeated flooding, people living next to streams whose properties saw large-scale erosion and flooding, and those whose house foundations were damaged.

"I wouldn't turn anybody down," said Lee, who encouraged people to come out if they need help.

If the presidential disaster declaration is approved, "we're talking about more grants than loans," Lee said. "We've come across some households -- they couldn't even afford loans for help."

The governor's letter said many communities had repeat flooding and that mud, rock and debris had "rendered some public and private property virtually useless unless they can be cleaned up."

Lee said it may take a month or more to receive federal help.

On Kauai, the Ka Loko Dam burst March 14, sweeping away two homes and sending seven people to their deaths.

Oahu's North Shore and Windward Coast were repeatedly hit by severe flooding of homes and property, as well as several sewage spills.

Also on Oahu, residents of Maunalaha Valley near Round Top Drive endured repeated landslides. On March 31, about six feet of mud fell in a landslide, reaching up to the windows of some homes and trapping cars and trucks.

Makiki, McCully, Waikiki and East Honolulu homes and businesses were also flooded that day. Flood waters and mud swamped Kahala Mall on March 31, damaging about 90 businesses.

The state and Oahu Civil Defense agencies are setting up two disaster assistance and recovery centers on Oahu to provide the latest information on state as sistance available under the governor's state disaster proclamation:

Calls can also be made to Aloha United Way's 211 Information and Referral line.

Officials tell Kauai all its dams are safe

KOLOA, Kauai » Gov. Linda Lingle attended a town meeting Monday night to assuage the fears of Kauai residents about another reservoir dam failure. State and county officials, experts and business leaders assured about 300 residents that the seven dams located above Koloa, Kukuiula and Poipu are safe.

"Once the heavy rains started two months ago, Grove Farm took proactive management steps for all of our reservoirs," company senior vice president Allan Smith said.

"The integrity of the Waita Reservoir was sound," he said.

Grove Farm owns the reservoir which, with a maximum capacity of 3.2 billion gallons, is by far the largest on Kauai.

Representatives of Alexander & Baldwin, which owns the six other reservoirs, also said their dams were fine.

Inspections of all reservoirs in the state were ordered after the Ka Loko Dam burst March 14, killing seven people.

"All (reservoirs) inspected posed no immediate threat to the structure of the dams," said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state Civil Defense director.

State and county officials said efforts were under way to share the findings of the inspections.

"We are making sure you have all the information you need, for now and the future," Lingle told residents.

Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste sounded a note of caution.

"As far as these breaching activities, in terms of how much water would come down and where it would go, we don't know," he said.

"We've done (models) for (disasters) that we're used to -- the hurricanes, the tsunamis -- but not for dams," Baptiste said. "We don't know what would happen and how massive it would be.

Kauai received about 10 times more rainfall than normal in the month of March, Kauai Civil Defense administrator Mark Marshall said. Lihue Airport received over 36 inches of rain in March; the average rainfall total is 3 to 4 inches, he said.