Hawaii National Guard Activates 200 Troops Statewide for Second Kona Low

By 9:00 a.m. on March 21, the Hawai'i National Guard had activated about 200 Soldiers and Airmen statewide to support all counties as the second Kona low storm in less than two weeks bore down on the islands. The storms struck beginning March 10 and again beginning March 19, with the second expected to be considerably weaker than the first until rainfall exceeded forecasts, turning what was predicted as two to three inches into ten inches of rain within three hours.

"The Hawaiʻi National Guard has personnel in every county emergency operations center and 21 High Water Vehicle Teams (HWVT) postured on multiple islands to assist," said Hawaiʻi State Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan. "The collaboration between the Governor and all four county mayors allowed the state of Hawaiʻi Department of Defense to improve our ability to respond to this unprecedented Kona Low Storm," Logan said.

The activation more than doubled the Guard's footprint from the first storm. The first system struck March 10 through 16, and the state's own Department of Defense reported that as of 3:00 p.m. on March 15, about 90 Soldiers and Airmen had been activated for that earlier response, with Kaua'i and O'ahu teams stood down and Maui and Hawai'i Island Guard members assisting with flood evacuations. The March 21 figure of 200 represents the expanded posture as the second system intensified.

About 50 civilians were assisted by high water vehicle teams on Friday, March 20, on O'ahu, and 13 high water vehicle teams were in the Waialua area Friday actively assisting rescue and evacuation missions on the hard-hit and inundated North Shore, which suffered dangerous and catastrophic flash flooding. Three Blackhawk Helicopters were also deployed Friday to Our Lady of Keaʻau in the Waiʻanae area, where they rescued an additional 47 adults, children and two dogs.

Guard members used light medium tactical vehicles to transport stranded residents from an American Red Cross gathering point at Waialua High School to a shelter at Leilehua High School, part of broader evacuation efforts on O'ahu's North Shore during the second storm. Overnight, the Guard also supported monitoring at Wahiawā Dam, which faced high and fluctuating water levels, and on Saturday morning continued search and rescue efforts in the North Shore and Waialua areas.

The specialized forces deployed included members of the Hawai'i National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package, which assisted City and County of Honolulu first responders in search and recovery operations in Waialua on March 21. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said first responders conducted 233 rescues during the storm, with no reported fatalities. The Guard also assisted with medical transport from a Kula medical center on Maui after it sustained water damage.

On Kauaʻi, road closures were reported on Hoʻone Road and Puolo Road as a result of the two storms. By Saturday, March 21, Kauaʻi and O'ahu were seeing improving conditions, while Maui County continued to experience heavy rain and flash flooding.

Gov. Josh Green subsequently submitted a formal request to the President for a major disaster declaration under the Stafford Act, citing severe and compounding impacts from the two consecutive storm systems that brought catastrophic flooding, landslides, infrastructure damage and emergency evacuations across multiple islands. Green said the cost of the storms could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, homes and a Maui hospital in Kula.

On average, one to two Kona storms affect Hawai'i each season, but it is extremely rare for two to impact the islands within the same month, especially within the span of a week, a combination that left the state scrambling to respond before infrastructure from the first storm had been stabilized.