Thousands evacuated as Hawaii faces worst flooding in 20 years

Thousands of people in Hawaii have been told to evacuate their homes as the US state suffered its worst flooding in decades.

It is the second severe storm to hit the archipelago in the last week, causing damage that could exceed $1bn, according to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi.

More than 230 people have been rescued so far, Blangiardi told a news conference on Friday. Heavy rains continued to fall on the archipelago in the early hours of Saturday morning.

 Evacuation ordered in Hawaii as 120-year-old dam could fail, catastrophic flooding continues.

Officials urged Oahu’s North Shore residents to evacuate safely if they can. Emergency sirens were triggered, where rising waters also damaged homes. Honolulu officials issued a “LEAVE NOW” evacuation order at 5:35 a.m. Friday local time for Waialua and Haleiwa: “Extremely dangerous flooding and Wahiawa Dam is high.”

Officials said a dam failure has the potential for “life-threatening flooding and catastrophic amounts of fast moving water.”