A report last month to the Hawaii legislature on a dam collapse that killed seven people is prompting quick action to repair damage and bolster the state's dam-inspection program. Identical bills are making their way through the legislature's house and senate to appropriate $2 million for cost recovery, stabilization of slopes and drainage, inspections and costs for criminal and civil actions related to the collapse.
The sudden failure of Ka Loko Dam just before dawn March 14, 2006, on Kauai, Hawaii's northernmost large island, released 1.6 million tons of water. A 70-ft-high, 200-ft-wide wave crashed through the Moala forest, snapping trees, demolishing a cluster of houses and killing seven people.