A firefighter from the Hawaiian island of Maui was swept into a storm drain by heavy flooding and carried thousands of feet.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was sucked into a 4-foot-wide storm drain in Kihei over the weekend while trying to clear it of debris. He was then dragged some 800 yards through the drain until he exited into the sea.
“There were also public works crews from our county there, who were able to provide quick information on which way the storm drain was and where anything that flows through the storm drain would eventually end up,” said Mahina Martin, head of Communications and Public Affairs. Maui County, to Hawaii News Now.
“And so our fire crews and emergency personnel were able to quickly get to that site, search for that firefighter and recover him and call for immediate medical attention,” Martin added.
The firefighter was unresponsive as he was retrieved from the other end of the drain. He eventually recovered after CPR was performed on him and was later taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center.
Floods can be incredibly dangerous. It only takes 6 inches of moving water to topple it, warns the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on its Flood Safety page.
Flash floods are the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, killing an average of nearly 90 people each year. In 2021 alone, 146 people died in floods across the country.
Maui has been dealing with high levels of flooding in recent days, due to heavy rains – as much as 13 inches fell in some parts of the island. Kihei, where the firefighter was washed down the drain, is particularly vulnerable to flooding due to its low elevation and location on the Maui coast.
More rain is forecast for the next few days, and the risk of flash flooding remains high.
The firefighter remains in the hospital but his condition is unknown.
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