Elderly Woman Missing On Maui After Falling Into ʻĪao River
Rescuers are continuing to search for the 71-year-old woman, who has not been seen since she fell into the raging river.
Emergency personnel on Maui spent hours searching unsuccessfully for a 71-year-old woman who fell into the ʻĪao River on Saturday morning, according to the Maui County Police Department.
The woman, who is known to frequent a homeless encampment near the Waiehu Bridge on Waiehu Beach Road, was trying to gather water in a basket around 11:40 a.m. when she fell in, according to police. She quickly disappeared into the raging river, and has not been seen since, a witness told the police.
The river had been flowing especially rapidly due to heavy rain. The woman was the first person to be reported missing as a result of the recent Kona low storms that have hit the state.
Police and the Maui Fire Department searched the area and the ocean, about half a mile away from where the woman fell in, using Jet Skis and a helicopter. But she had not been found as of 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to the police. Search efforts were still underway, police said.
Police requested that anyone with information regarding this incident to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 244-6400 and refer to report number 26-007835.
People should avoid entering or crossing rapidly moving water, flooded roadways and streams because conditions can quickly change and become life-threatening, according to police.
On Oʻahu, mandatory evacuation orders were lifted for North Shore communities of Waialua and Haleʻiwa Saturday afternoon as conditions improved enough for residents to return home and begin assessing the damage from extensive flooding over the past few days.
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply, however, told residents of a swath of the North Shore that they should boil tap water for three minutes before using it for drinking, cooking or making ice. The affected communities include Waialua, Haleʻiwa, Sunset, Pūpūkea, Waialee and Turtle Bay. BWS will announce when it’s safe to use tap water again.
In the meantime, BWS is parking two 2,000-gallon water tankers at Waialua Community Association and Sunset Beach Neighborhood Park Saturday.
