Hawaii declares emergency due to floods

Harrowing scenes like THIS are playing out across Hawaii.

On Tuesday - a river of floodwater gushed past a home in Hauula.

The state is now under an emergency proclamation... after heavy rain brought floods, landslides, and a fear of dam failures across Hawaii.

On the island of Maui, homes were destroyed when a dam overflowed. Heavy rain also damaged roads there, and one bridge was completely washed out.

Thousands of people in the state have been ordered to evacuate.

Haiku resident Shawn Alexander said it didn’t take long for water to rush into his house:

"I started panicking, my dad started panicking. We just was watching everything kind go by and then, maybe within 15 to 20 minutes, the water just rose to the top. It burst into the room, it took all the chicken coops down the river, it lifted up my truck and my truck went down the river as well."

Local media reported that two people were swept away in raging waters on Tuesday… and only one of them is confirmed to have been rescued.

The Governor is warning residents to take all precautions... as the poor weather is expected to last until Friday.