A recent investigation found the state had repeatedly told dam owners it did not meet modern safety standards, but the company did not make repairs

The city has issued an evacuation order for the Waialua and Haleiwa areas due to “extremely dangerous flooding” and rising water levels at the Wahiawa Dam.

Evacuation orders have been issued in parts of Oʻahu as the Wahiawa Dam faces a serious risk of failure amid dangerous flooding.

Hundreds of people have been rescued as severe flooding batters Hawaii’s Oahu island, prompting evacuation orders near a dam officials feared could overtop as water levels rose.

Owner Dole Food Company Hawaii said in a statement, “These thresholds are intentionally conservative and based on the time required to safely evacuate downstream areas; they do not reflect a loss of structural integrity.

The worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades has swept homes off their foundations, floated cars out of driveways and left floors, walls and counters covered in thick, reddish volcanic mud.