Flash flood warning extended for Hawaii’s Oahu Island over threat to Wahiawa Dam

A flash flood warning for Hawaii’s Oahu island has been extended Saturday as the threat for the imminent failure of the Wahiawa Dam continues to loom following heavy rainstorms.

State officials reported «catastrophic» damage as major rains pummeled the area for the second significant rain event in a week.

Dangerous flooding is continuing to impact Hawaii’s Oahu island, prompting more than 230 rescues.

At a press briefing Friday evening, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said emergency crews have already rescued more than 230 people from life-threatening conditions.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said there were no confirmed fatalities or missing persons as emergency responders — including firefighters, the National Guard and military personnel — have been deployed across affected areas.

The island’s emergency management office reported flooding and closed roads on the windward side of the island due to earlier flooding.

The heaviest rain is expected to continue through Saturday for most islands, with the Big Island getting the heaviest rain on Sunday and thunderstorms possible at times, which may include damaging winds.

The very saturated soil and the possibility of wind gusts up to 45 mph could more easily take down trees and power lines.

Additional rainfall accumulations between 2 and 7 inches are likely through the event this weekend.

Earlier Friday, an evacuation order was issued for Haleiwa and Waialua, including areas near the Wahiawa Dam, according to Oahu Emergency Management, which warned that the dam «may collapse or breach at any time.»

The dam «has not failed but is at imminent risk of failure,» Oahu Emergency Management said mid-morning local time Friday.

Later, the agency said dam levels were trending down but with more rain expected, some evacuation orders remained in place.

At the press briefing Friday evening, officials said they are closely monitoring water levels at the Wahiawa Dam and others. The governor stressed that there are no reports of structural damage. Concerns centered on rising water levels and the risk of overflow, which could affect stability.

Authorities said widespread damage has already been reported to homes, roads, schools, airports and at least one hospital on Maui, where patients had to be relocated. The full financial impact is still being assessed, but early estimates suggest losses could surpass $1 billion.

At a press briefing earlier Friday, the Honolulu mayor said «dozens, if not maybe hundreds of homes» had been affected by the flooding.

«There’s no question that the damage done thus far has been catastrophic,» he said.

Search and rescue operations were ongoing on Oahu’s north shore, according to Honolulu spokesperson Ian Scheuring, who did not have an official number of people rescued so far.

On Oahu, all state departments have closed and employees not involved in disaster response and preparedness were sent home Friday due to the weather conditions.

The latest flood threat comes a week after a damaging flood event that washed away roads and damaged homes.

A flash flood emergency was issued for northern Oahu earlier Friday for «catastrophic» flooding. Local emergency personnel had reported «life-threatening flash flooding» early Friday across northern Oahu, according to the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

«Floodwaters have cut off road access in and out of Haleiwa, and widespread flooding of roadways and low-lying areas is ongoing,» the NWS said, warning that «significant runoff continues to produce high water levels and dangerous flooding impacts.»

ABC News’ Kyle Reiman contributed to this report.