University still cleaning up in wake of last weekend’s floods A flash flood watch is being extended through today for Kaua‘i and O‘ahu. The heavy rain, which is falling across the Island, is coming from a weather front from the
University still cleaning up in wake of last weekend’s floods
A flash flood watch is being extended through today for Kaua‘i and O‘ahu.
The heavy rain, which is falling across the Island, is coming from a weather front from the west that’s hanging over Kaua‘i and O‘ahu.
The national weather service is warning that stream levels will continue to be higher than normal due to runoff from earlier heavy rainfall, and that motorists can expect ponding of water to continue in low lying areas.
Isolated thunderstorms are also anticipated.
Light winds are producing offshore surf on the East Side of the Island, with murky ocean conditions due to runoff from the heavy rains.
Still reeling from the effects of last weekend’s flooding, the University of Hawaii will pay a disaster relief contractor at least $1.75 million to help in the cleanup of the Manoa campus.
BMS Catastrophe, which helped clean up at the Pentagon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will begin work Saturday.
Heavy rains last Saturday caused flooding throughout Manoa Valley and cut off electricity to 35 buildings on campus. Students returned to classes Thursday for the first time since the flooding.
More than 200 workers, including BMS employees, National Guard personnel and local laborers, will work on the cleanup effort, the school said.
“We are probably looking at 30 to 45 days in time to get the place cleaned up,” BMS Vice President Tim Draney said. “We are also looking at freeze-drying documents, wet paper film and microfilm that might be affected and we will work with the university on securing those pieces of property that need to be restored.”
BMS is shipping about two to three plane loads of equipment to Honolulu. The portable generators, dehumidifiers, cooling equipment were scheduled to arrive Friday night.
BMS will focus on the four most heavily damaged buildings — Hamilton Library, Biomedical Sciences Building, Agricultural Sciences and Sherman Laboratory.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Taxation announced it will consider requests for extensions to file and pay other taxes and waives of penalties and interest on a case-by-case basis.
