Kau Information Update for January 12th, 2020

One person rescued from stalled bus in floodwaters on Highway 11 at Kawa Flats early Sunday morning (January 12th).

The Hawaii Fire Department (HFD) along with the Hawaii Police Department (HPD) responded to a report of a person trapped in a bus stalled in floodwaters on Highway 11 at Kawa Flats early Sunday morning.

The initial call came in at 12:12 am Sunday morning and HFD crews from the Pahala and Na'alehu Fire Stations along with HPD officers from the Ka'u Patrol responded to the scene located the 59-mile marker on Highway 11 in Ka'u at Kawa Flats.

Upon the arrival of emergency crews, a call came in from a school bus driver (described as 72-year-old female) who attempted to cross floodwaters on Highway 11 at Kawa Flats, however immediately after entering the floodwaters, the school bus had stalled out and was inoperable due to the flooding and bus driver took necessary precautions to prevent further hazard from occurring until HFD crews arrived on scene.

Once emergency crews arrived on the scene, HFD crews from the Na'alehu side of the flooding at Kawa Flats had entered the floodwaters and were able to access the school bus and extricate the female bus driver back to safety from the hazardous condition and uninjured.