SEARCH THE MAP: <\/strong>Look up your address on the evacuation map here<\/a>.<\/p>\n As of 5:15 p.m., the reservoir had filled up to 82.8 feet, just shy of an 84-foot threshold that officials have said in the past would trigger evacuation orders. Just after 10 p.m., the city said water levels were trending down but being closely monitored. The water usually sits around 65 to 75 feet, according to federal government data<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has labeled the Wahiaw\u0101 Dam as a \u201chigh hazard dam<\/a>.\u201d Its catastrophic failure would put 2,500 lives in danger, the agency found. The state of Hawai\u02bbi also classifies the Wahiaw\u0101 Reservoir as a high hazard dam because its failure \u201cwill result in probable loss of human life,\u201d according to a Department of Land and Natural Resources memo.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Green called the dam his \u201cbiggest concern\u201d at a press conference earlier Friday evening. The dam, Green said, is about 90-feet high. \u201cAt 88 feet, you\u2019ve got a big problem,\u201d Green said. \u201cWater can\u2019t be allowed to spill over the dam. It would cause structural concerns and could really cause significant tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n Racquel Achiu, a farmer and community leader, lives on Waialua farmland that sits in a zone labeled orange on the city\u2019s map \u2014 labeled \u201cprepare to evacuate.\u201d\u00a0 She was anxious to leave but her family wanted to stay put.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s been raining all day, she said, \u201cand there\u2019s no end in sight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis place is a mess,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyone evacuating was being directed to Waialua High and Intermediate School, which sits just outside the evacuation zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n As of 8:30 p.m., the shelter only had 11 people, according to Molly Pierce from the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. She said that\u2019s about on par with other shelters around the island, each of which had no more than about 20 people. Evacuees should be aware that shelters don\u2019t have any food or amenities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s limited services,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s there to protect life. It\u2019s not necessarily the most comfortable or well resourced facility.\u201d<\/p>\n Rep. Sean Quinlan, whose district includes Hale\u02bbiwa and North Shore, said late Friday that residents were hunkering down, waiting on updates from city officials on the water levels of the dam. He said his wife and kids had evacuated to his parents\u2019 house in Sunset Beach.<\/p>\n Communication has been better compared to four years ago, when residents had just minutes to evacuate as storm waters shut off the three bridges into Hale\u02bbiwa, Quinlan said. This time around, evacuation notices have gone out much sooner.<\/p>\n But he noted that weather events appear to be getting more serious.<\/p>\n \u201cI think unfortunately that this is the new normal,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had two of these rain events in less than a month \u2026 and I think these are going to occur more and more often, so we just have to be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n Dam\u2019s Transfer To State Long Delayed\u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier on Friday, the Board of Land and Natural Resources had been scheduled to vote on a measure allowing the state to buy the Wahiaw\u0101 Reservoir. The plan had been in the works<\/a> for years and was intended to allow for repairs and safety upgrades.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the meeting was canceled as the state government shut down due to the storm.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIsn\u2019t that ironic?\u201d said Kathleen Elliott-Pahinui, a member of the North Shore Neighborhood Board.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Waialua](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/waialua-evacuation-zones-1024x531.jpg\")
Residents of Waialua and Hale\u02bbiwa were advised on Friday to prepare to leave their homes. (Honolulu\/2026)<\/p>\n![\"Screenshot\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-13-at-10.10.39\u202fPM-663x1024.jpeg\")
Racquel Achiu recorded flooding outside her car window on the North Shore of O\u02bbahu on Friday. (Provided video screenshot\/2026)<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/240805-kf-Wahiawa-Dam-295-1024x682.jpg\")
The Wahiaw\u0101 Dam and spillway, here pictured in 2024, play a crucial role in relieving pressure on the Wahiaw\u0101 Reservoir, also known as Lake Wilson, during heavy rains. When the reservoir was first built, it had an initial capacity of 3 billion gallons. (Kevin Fujii\/Civil Beat\/2024)<\/p>\n![\"ADC](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/240805-kf-Wahiawa-Dam-349-1024x682.jpg\")
ADC Executive Director Wendy Gady, pictured in 2024, stands near a portion of the 30 miles of Dole-owned irrigation ditches fed by the Wahiaw\u0101 Reservoir, also known as Lake Wilson. (Kevin Fujii\/Civil Beat\/2024)<\/p>\n![\"Civil](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/logo10.png\"){kind=logo}
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