Rain, flooding keep part of Piilani Highway closed Friday | News, Sports, Jobs

Piilani Highway remained closed between Ulupalakua and Nuu on Friday morning after a kona low resulted in heavy rain and flooding in East Maui on Thursday, according to a news release from the county.

A more stable air mass will gradually develop over the weekend as high pressure builds north of the islands, according to the National Weather Service.

An American Red Cross emergency shelter that opened Thursday evening at Eddie Tam Memorial Center in Makawao was closed at midnight Thursday after no one showed up. Another emergency shelter that opened at Hana High and Elementary School on Thursday morning was closed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday after flooding subsided and state Department of Transportation crews cleared landslides and debris from Hana Highway in East Maui.

County officials reported that flooding mitigation tools deployed ahead of the kona low successfully helped prevent ash runoff into the storm drain system.

Due to the unpredictability of the kona low system, the Maui Emergency Management Agency was partially activated when the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Maui County and the public was advised to take precautions on Thursday. MEMA was deactivated for the kona low at 8:15 p.m. Thursday after the expiration of the warning.

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