BRYAN BERKOWITZ / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-ADVERTISER
Maui County Dept. of Water Supply worker, Tyson Kauhi looks on as heavy equipment is used to clear debris from the Wailuku River on Oct. 4.
Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
i
President Barack Obama signed a federal disaster declaration Thursday, making federal aid available for emergency work and the repair and replacement of facilities damaged by a recent severe storm, flooding, landslides and mudslides on Maui.
Obama said in a statement Thursday that federal funding will supplement state and local recovery efforts, and some nonprofit organizations would also be eligible.
Disaster declarations were also issued by the state and Maui County.
The Iao Valley state park remains closed as work continues to remove tons of debris, broken concrete and asphalt from the 6.5-acre site, which is popular with tourists and residents.
On Sept. 13, waters that surged from a rate of less than 100 million gallons per day to an estimated 3 billion gallons per day inundated the valley and its river.
Concrete walkways, pedestrian bridges and the parking lot at Iao Valley State Monument were either damaged or destroyed. Floodwaters undermined a nearly vertical cliff below the parking lot and tore away 20 feet of grassy park.
Trees and large boulders were ripped away from the original riverbed by the floodwaters and were sent into a new waterway that doubled and tripled in width in some areas.
In the week following the Sept. 13 storm, the National Guard removed about 327 tons of debris from Iao Valley.
A state parks official estimated damage costs ranging from $6 million to $15 million.
