Dam Breaks on Kauai; 1 Dead, Up to 7 Missing

KILAUEA, Hawaii —  An earthen dam burst on Kauai on Tuesday, sending a 50-foot wave into the Pacific Ocean, sweeping away at least two houses and washing out the only road along the island’s north shore.

One person was killed and as many as seven were reported missing.

The Kaloko Reservoir dam gave way without warning after days of heavy rain. The swath of devastation, which witnesses described as a reverse tsunami flowing from the hills to the ocean, cut off access to and from thousands of rural houses and luxury condominiums, including the Princeville resort community.

Search crews recovered the body of an unidentified male several hours after the dam broke.

The Coast Guard searched without success for as many as seven people believed missing, but its plane and helicopter returned to Oahu at nightfall, spokesman Michael De Nyse said.

The Kaloko dam, about 40 feet high and 1,800 feet long, captured runoff from small streams. Authorities estimated the reservoir’s capacity at 1,400 acre-feet -- enough water to cover 1,400 acres a foot deep.

Debris from the wall of water could be seen clinging to electrical wires. The surge uprooted 200-foot trees and washed away garages, sheds and massive dirt embankments.

“Sounded like a 747 jet crashing here in the valley, all the trees popping and snapping and everything,” Kilauea resident John Hawthorne said. “It was just a horrendous sound, and it never quit. And the roar of the water was just louder than anything. It just roared and roared and roared until you couldn’t hear anything.”