User:Hurricane Noah/Olivia rewrite

Preparations


Hurricane Olivia's approach towards the Hawaiian Islands warranted the issuance of tropical cyclone watches and warnings. A tropical storm watch was issued for the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, and Oahu on September 10 at 03:00 UTC. By 15:00 UTC, every watch had been upgraded to a tropical storm warning except for the island of Oahu, which was upgraded at 03:00 UTC on the next day. Additional tropical storm watches had been issued for the islands of Kauai and Niihau at the same time on September 11. These watches were upgraded to tropical storm warnings by 21:00 UTC. The United States Coast Guard initiated Condition Whiskey at 08:00 HST on September 8 for ports in Hawaii, Maui, and Honolulu counties, expecting gale-force winds to occur within 72 hours. Honolulu and Kauai county ports were later upgraded to Condition X-ray, with the expectation of gale-force winds occurring within 48 hours. By 08:00 HST on September 9, ports in Hawaii and Maui counties were upgraded to Condition Yankee, with the expectation of gale-force winds within 24 hours. At both of these conditions, restrictions were set on ports. Pleasure craft were asked to travel into safer waters, and any barge or other ocean-traveling ship above 200 ST were asked to remain in port if they had permission to do so or depart from the port if they did not. Ports in Hawaii, Maui, and Honolulu counties were upgraded to Condition Zulu at 08:00 HST on September 11, when gale-force winds were expected to occur in less than 12 hours. All ports in those counties were closed to naval traffic until the danger from Olivia had ended.

Maui County closed all government offices, schools, and the court system in anticipation of Olivia's impact. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) readied personnel and supplies on Maui, and the Hawaii National Guard stationed troops and transportation trucks on the eastern side of the island. Hawaiian Airlines canceled flights for its Ohana commuter airline service. Fees for changing flights were waived by multiple airline companies during the storm. Hawaii Governor David Ige requested federal help for search and rescue, medical evacuations, medical care and shelter commodities, and generators. The governor also declared Hawaii, Maui, Kalawao, Kauai, and Honolulu counties disaster areas prior to Olivia's landfall in order to activate emergency disaster funds and management.

Impact and aftermath
Olivia brought heavy rainfall, winds, and high surf to the main Hawaiian Islands, less than a month after Hurricane Lane dropped a record 58 in of rain on the state. From September 11–12, 8–20 ft high surf was reported along the northern and eastern facing shores of the Big Island, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. Surf of this magnitude also occurred along the southern and eastern shores of Oahu, and Kauai. In Maui County, the Lanai Airport recorded peak wind gusts of 55 mph (89 km/h). The highest rainfall occurred near West Wailuaiki on the island of Maui, peaking at 12.93 in. Around 10.31 in of rain was recorded at the Manoa Lyon Arboretum on Oahu. A flash flood warning was issued for Molokai and Maui. Olivia felled trees and caused 6,800 power outages on Maui. Rising rivers prompted the evacuation of several residences in Lahaina and another in the Waihee Valley. In the former, floodwaters deposited mud in one home and fractured a concrete barrier wall along the property's riverfront boundary. Around 65 reports of damage occurred on Maui, with some reaching complete and total destruction. A brown water advisory was issued for coastal waters near Waiheʻe to Kahului and Honokōhau to Honua Kai due to the possibility of contamination from various sources, including chemicals, sewage, and pesticides. Previously, the entire island of Maui had been under a brown water advisory. Multiple parks and forest reserves were closed to visitors due to a combination of water damage, land erosion, and downed trees. Several sections of the Hana Highway were closed after trees fell. Likewise, Kamehameha V Highway was closed after floodwaters submerged the road and deposited debris. The Honolua Ditch was clogged with debris; authorities asked customers to conserve water for the remainder of September while the ditch is cleaned out and repaired. Floodwaters damaged multiple portions of Lower Honoapiilani Road and eroded cliffs along its shoulder; temporary repairs cost about $50,000 and complete repairs were estimated to exceed $100,000 in cost. Temporary cliff restoration work was ongoing as of January 2021, consisting of sandbag and sheet wall repairs. Hololani Resort Condominiums and Goodfellow Bros, the company performing the work, was fined $75,000 in that month for violating state and county regulations.

In the Honokohau Valley, multiple buildings, cars, and trees were swept away by floodwaters. At least a dozen homes were flooded after debris clogged streams, forcing the strong currents to forge new paths. The Honokohau stream rose 15 ft, submerging the Honokohau bridge; debris floating downstream struck the foundations of the bridge. A bridge that provided access to a home was destroyed, resulting in $5,000 in damage. The house suffered flood damage; the telephone and water lines were destroyed. An elderly woman was rescued by Malia Wong and the latter's husband during the storm. The floor of a house was destroyed after it was submerged under 1 ft of water. Another house had its floors plastered with mud after floodwaters entered the structure. On one property, a home was swept away, and another was moved off its foundation by floodwaters; the latter and a third building both required demolition due to flood damage. Another home was swept away by floodwaters and a second house was moved around 100 yards. Around a month after the storm, both homes were intentionally set on fire before repairs could commence; the fires caused a total of $80,000 in damage. The valley was without potable water at least a week after the storm. Maui County workers parked a water tanker on the Honoapiilani Highway while work was underway on water services. Volunteers worked to clear the wreckage left by the storm so buildings could be repaired. The Red Cross helped with recovery efforts. Wong donated pallets of diapers, water, food, and clothing to people who were severely impacted. Maui restaurants donated 100 meals to people affected by the storm and those volunteering to help clear the wreckage left behind. The cost to replace a broken water inflow pipe in the valley was estimated at $100,000. A road in Kahana that had been damaged during the storm was repaired for $100,000.

Torrential rainfall and flooding from Hurricanes Lane and Olivia reduced water flow and damaged a control gate in the Honokohau Stream ditch system. The ditch provided water to farmers as well as residential areas. The Ka Malu o Kahalawai and West Maui Preservation Association filed a complaint with the state water commission in spring 2019, alleging that the Maui Land & Pineapple Company was wasting water, causing water dearths, and not maintaining critical infrastructure. The state commission approved a motion on November 20, 2019, that The Maui Land & Pineapple Company must upgrade the damaged structures. The Maui Land & Pineapple Company announced on December 4, 2019, that it began repairs on the Honokohau Stream ditch system. The project cost around $300,000–$400,000, with repairs finishing on May 11, 2020.

Floodwaters made eastern Molokai's only highway impassable. At least 700 power outages occurred on the island, resulting in the closure of a school. Power was restored by September 12; crews fixed multiple areas of downed lines and damaged poles.

The storm caused around 1,140 power outages in Honolulu. A roof was blown off a structure in ʻĀina Haina. Numerous roads, including portions of the Kamehameha Highway and Kalanianaole Highway, were closed due to flooding. Rainfall from Olivia caused the waterlevel behind the earthen Nuʻuanu Dam #1 to rise 4–5 ft overnight, prompting firefighters and officials to pump and siphon water away; however, the dam was not at risk of failure. A pipe overflowed from excessive rainfall, sending over 32000 gal of raw sewage into the Kapalama Stream and Honolulu Harbor; the city disinfected the waters. At least 775 usgal of sewage was contained by a vacuum truck. A 100 ft landslide occurred at the top of the Manoa Falls Trail around a week after the storm, taking down trees and boulders.

Olivia caused a total of US$25 million in damage throughout Hawaii. President Donald Trump declared Hawaii a disaster area to improve the response of FEMA. Bank of Hawaii allocated $25,000 to relief programs for the extension or forbearance of loans, necessary items, and home and vehicle repairs. Hotel occupancy dropped an average of 2.1% in September for Maui compared to the same time in 2017 as a result of hurricanes Lane and Olivia. Overall, tourism increased in the month of October, following the two storms.