Jason Momoa shares emotional video after he and thousands of Hawaiians forced to flee island
Topics: Jason Momoa, Hawaii, Weather, Celebrity, US News
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: prideofgypsies/Instagram
Topics: Jason Momoa, Hawaii, Weather, Celebrity, US News
Jason Momoa was forced to leave his home in Hawaii after the state was hit with severe flooding, causing an estimated $1 billion in damage.
5,500 Hawaii residents were hit with evacuation orders as a result of the 'Kona Low' storm, NBC reported, which caused its worst flooding in more than 20 years as heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago.
Authorities have cautioned that a 120-year-old dam could fail, which would cause yet more devastation.
One person who was forced to leave their home was Aquaman star Jason Momoa, who was born in Honolulu. People had expressed concerns about him and his welfare, so the actor took to his Instagram Story to update his almost 17 million followers.
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"I've got my family with me," he said. "We got out of the North Shore. A lot of people have been asking."
Looking visibly distressed, Momoa went on: "Our power went off. We're safe for now but there's a lot of people who aren't, so sending all our love."
The actor described the situation in North Shore as 'pretty gnarly' and expressed his hopes that other people in the area were safe and leaving their homes when they could.
He concluded the video: "All my love. Stay safe out there."
Governor Josh Green has said the cost of the storm could top $1 billion, including damage to airports, schools, roads, people’s homes and a Maui hospital in Kula.
"This is going to have a very serious consequence for us as a state," Green said at a news conference.
Most of the state was under a flood watch as of Saturday (March 21), with Haleiwa and Waialua in northern Oahu under a flash flood warning, according to the National Weather Service.
"Residents in the Waialua area are strongly urged to LEAVE NOW," an emergency alert said early yesterday morning.
"The remaining access road out of Waialua is at high risk of failure if rainfall continues."
No deaths had been reported at the time of writing, but Green has confirmed that ten people have been taken to hospital with hypothermia.
Crews searched by air and by water for people who had been stranded – efforts that were hampered by people flying personal drones to get images of the flooding, said Ian Scheuring, a spokesperson for Honolulu.
The National Guard and Honolulu Fire Department airlifted 72 children and adults who had been attending a spring break youth camp at a retreat on Oahu’s west coast called Our Lady of Kea’au, according to city and camp officials.
The camp is on high ground but authorities did not want to leave them there, Green said.