U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy aircrews on Friday, March 20, rescued seven people and one dog from flash floods on Oʻahu.
Coast Guard Sector Honolulu watchstanders just before 10:30 a.m. Friday received a report about stranded people in distress and immediately coordinated response of an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter crew from Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37.
The helicopter crew rescued five people and a dog from a rooftop in the Waialua area, bringing them safely to Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Oʻahu.
An MH-60 Seahawk helicopter crew assigned to U.S. Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37 rescues five people and one dog stranded on a rooftop Friday, March 20, 2026, during a flash flood in Waialua, Oʻahu. The crew brought the survivors safely to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Oʻahu. (Video Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Barbers Point)
Later Friday, an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point at about 4 p.m. rescued two more people stranded near Yokohama Bay.
The man and woman became stranded because the road washed out; they wrote “SOS” in the sand, hoping someone would see it.
Coast Guard helicopter crew members spotted the message during an overflight of the area. The pair were hoisted aboard and taken to safety at Air Station Barbers Point.
Crews of Coast Guard Cutters Oliver Berry, Harriet Lane and Hollyhock along with Coast Guard Station Honolulu boat crews also responded to the incident.
HC-130 Hercules airplane crews and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station Barbers Point also conducted overflights throughout the North Shore to assess impacts from Friday’s life-threatening flash flooding and determine response needs.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Oʻahu, on Friday, March 20, 2026, flies over a flooded neighborhood in Waialua on Oʻahu’s North Shore. Honolulu Department of Emergency Management issued mandatory evacuations Friday for Waialua and Haleʻiwa following heavy rainfall and flooding around the island. (Photo Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Barbers Point)- An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Oʻahu, on Friday, March 20, 2026, flies over a flooded neighborhood in Waialua on Oʻahu’s North Shore. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy aircrews rescued seven people and one dog Friday during flash floods on the island. (Photo Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Barbers Point)
There were no confirmed reports of people in the water.
“Safety of life remains our top priority,” said U.S. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu Incident Commander Cmdr. Jeffrey Padilla in a release detailing the rescues. “We are working closely with our partners, including Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency and [City and County of Honolulu] first responders, to support developing search and rescue efforts.”
National Weather Service Honolulu forecast office began late Thursday night, March 19, issuing flash flood warnings for Oʻahu.
Those warnings were extended overnight, throughout the day Friday and into Friday night, almost as if it were just one flash flood warning that remained in effect more than 24 hours.
Forecasters at one point even issued a flash flood emergency that was in effect much of the day for several North Shore communities.
Aircrews assigned to U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point in Kapolei, Oʻahu, conduct overflights Friday, March 20, 2026, to assess flash flooding impacts in Waialua and Haleʻiwa on Oʻahu’s North Shore. (Video Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard/Air Station Barbers Point)
Honolulu Department of Emergency Management also issued mandatory evacuations Friday for Waialua and Haleʻiwa because of extremely dangerous flooding and a very real risk of Oʻahu’s Wahiawa Dam failing.
Visit the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency website for additional information.
And be sure to follow U.S. Coast Guard Oceania District on Facebook, X and Instagram.
