HONOLULU (AP) - The Latest on the tropical depression and its impact on Hawaii (all times local):
1:45 p.m.
Honolulu officials say a dam where waters rose rapidly during a tropical storm is not in danger of failing.
Board of Water Supply Chief Engineer Ernie Lau said Thursday the dam is “nowhere close” to breaching.
But he says water in the reservoir rose 4 to 5 feet (nearly 1.5 meters) overnight during heavy rains from Tropical Storm Olivia.
City officials are asking people near Nuuanu (Noo-OO-ah-noo) Dam No. 1 to be alert for the possibility they may have to evacuate.
A spillway could be used to release water from the dam, but that would cause some flooding downstream.
The water level is now is 18 inches (46 centimeters) below the spillway.
Agency workers and firefighters are siphoning water from and pumping water out of the dam.
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11:45 a.m.
Honolulu officials are asking residents near a dam to stay alert for the possibility of evacuating as water levels in the reservoir rise amid heavy rains.
City spokesman Andrew Pereira said Thursday it appears the rain is subsiding, but the city is taking a cautious approach and asking residents to remain alert.
The city’s Board of Water Supply says 10,000 people may need to be evacuated near Nuuanu (Noo-OO-ah-noo) Dam No. 1.
The agency says it’s siphoning and pumping water to keep it below the spillway.
Tropical Storm Olivia dumped heavy rains Wednesday on Maui and Oahu as it crossed the state.
Meteorologists say it’s now a tropical depression moving away from the islands, but moisture will linger.
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10:30 a.m.
Honolulu officials say they may need to evacuate 10,000 people from a residential neighborhood if water in a reservoir continues to rise after heavy rains from a tropical storm.
Olivia crossed the state Wednesday, dumping heavy rains on Maui and Oahu. Meteorologists say it’s now a tropical depression moving west away from the islands.
The city’s Board of Water Supply said Thursday the water level in Nuuanu (Noo-OO-ah-noo) Dam No. 1 is about 18 inches (46 centimeters) below the spillway.
The agency says it’s been siphoning excess water to keep the water below the spillway but Olivia’s rains outstripped its siphoning capacity.
The water utility and fire department are pumping water out of the dam to bring levels down further.
The agency says it will coordinate any evacuation notice with the city.
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10:15 a.m.
Rain leftover from Tropical Storm Olivia caused a sewer pipe to overflow in Honolulu, sending more than 30,000 gallons (113,000 liters) of raw sewage into a stream and harbor.
Olivia crossed the state Wednesday, dumping heavy rains on Maui and Oahu. Meteorologists say it’s now a tropical depression moving west away from the islands.
The city’s Department of Environmental Services said Thursday workers noticed the overflow at 10:40 p.m. the previous night. They stopped the discharged just before dawn.
The rains overwhelmed a 36-inch (91-centimeter) pipe on North School Street. This pushed more than 32,000 gallons (121,000 liters) of sewage out of a manhole. Workers were able to recover nearly 800 gallons (3,000 liters) but the rest went into a storm drain that feeds into Kapalama Stream and Honolulu Harbor.
The city has disinfected the area.
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5:30 a.m.
Officials say Tropical Storm Olivia has been downgraded to a tropical depression as it moves away from Hawaii.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center said in a statement Thursday that the depression would produce additional rainfall of 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) and isolated amounts of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) on higher terrain.
The center says that rain could cause life-threatening flash floods because the ground is already saturated with water.
The tropical depression was moving west-southwest at about 18 mph (30 kph).
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12:20 a.m.
Heavy rain and winds from a tropical storm have downed trees, knocked out power and prompted evacuations of several homes on Hawaii’s Maui island but spared the state widespread damage before continuing out to sea.
Tropical Storm Olivia crossed the state Wednesday, making landfall on Maui and Lanai islands along the way.
Weather forecasters warned heavy rains would continue through Thursday but Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa said he was hopeful the effects of the storm would be limited.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center said Olivia was more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Honolulu late Wednesday. It was moving west with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph), just barely strong enough to qualify as a tropical storm.
The hurricane center said Olivia will likely weaken further and become a tropical depression by Thursday.
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