HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Several residents along Koali Road in Kaimuki came home from work on Tuesday afternoon to see their properties surrounded by knee-high water.
“I pretty much lost everything,” tenant Anthony Banks said, adding it was raining around the time his home and several others were flooded.
“Everybody said the same thing, they thought it was rain, and they came out and water was just coming out of everywhere.”
The water actually came from a 20-inch main break that the Board of Water Supply said happened at around 4:20 p.m. on Dole Street, about a mile away from the drenched homes.
“I got a call from my neighbor back there and she said the apartment was flooding, and I was like, well, it’s the end of my work day so I’m coming home, and it was a little shocking and she sent us videos and our whole complex was completely under water,” resident Alexandra Matzkin said.
The Honolulu Fire Department reported at least seven structures were flooded. The property manager there estimated nearly a dozen units were impacted.
“Our drains don’t drain, so we’ve had a couple instances like this, but never this bad so it was kind of like oh it’s actually happening this time,” tenant Isabella Tello-Ballejo added.
As residents try to salvage their belongings, some are relieved to have renters insurance, but all are concerned over how long it will take to make their homes livable again.
“We’re all like, post-college students with not very much money, you know, working part-time jobs or as much as we can, so it’s kind of like, pray everything’s as good as it can be and keep what we can and replace the rest, I guess,” Tello-Ballejo said.
Matzkin added, “It’s a big concern, where you going to live? Hawaii rent is really expensive.”
The water main transmission break also shut down parts of Dole Street and interrupted water service for residents from Punchbowl to Kaimuki.
Customers who still have service are asked to use water for essential needs only (drinking, cooking, personal hygiene) until further notice.
It is unclear what caused the break.
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Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.