Students and staff at Brigham Young University–Hawaii joined cleanup and relief work in Laie after flash flooding hit the North Shore community during a wider emergency that affected multiple islands across Hawaiʻi this month. State officials said two Kona low storm systems struck beginning on March 10 and again on March 19, causing catastrophic flooding, landslides, infrastructure damage and evacuations across multiple islands.
In Laie, residents told Hawaii News Now that floodwater rose quickly overnight, with video recorded between about 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. showing streets underwater and people standing in waist-deep water. The station reported that about 100 homes in Laie were damaged after a nearby stream overflowed and sent debris-filled water into homes.
BYU–Hawaii said the flooding also reached areas around campus housing and nearby neighbourhoods, where students began helping as conditions worsened. According to the university, volunteers moved vehicles and belongings out of danger, checked on residents, helped families get to safer ground and returned the following day with food, clothing and other basic supplies. The university said staff also helped organise donations and set up practical support for affected families.
The flooding in Laie formed part of a much larger storm event across the state. Governor Josh Green said the storms affected every county in Hawaiʻi. AP reported that the worst damage was centred on Oʻahu’s North Shore, while parts of Maui also faced evacuation warnings. Authorities said hundreds of homes were damaged statewide, along with schools and a hospital, and Governor Green said the total cost could top US$1 billion.
Even as waters began to recede in some places, the scale of the damage made clear that Laie was only one part of a broader statewide disaster. Within that wider crisis, the response at BYU–Hawaii stood out as students and staff moved quickly to support families in their own community.
This article is based on a BYU–Hawaii report, with wider context from the Office of the Governor of Hawaiʻi, Hawaii News Now and AP reporting.
