Maui storm turns Iao Stream violent, tearing a home into the water
maui residents Tom and Carrie Bashaw say they watched their home in Iao Valley collapse into Iao Stream during stormy conditions on Friday, then again around noon Saturday. They left the property around 9 p. m. Friday and spent the night in a nearby barn after fast-rising water began chewing away the ground beneath the structure. The couple says they had been monitoring the stream as conditions worsened and fled as soon as it became dangerous.
What happened in Iao Valley
The Bashaws said they were watching Iao Stream during the storm Friday when the force of the water began taking surrounding trees, signaling a rapid escalation. Tom Bashaw described seeing “the bunch of trees” start falling upriver, then closer to their property, as the situation deteriorated.
As the stream surged, the couple said a large shelf of land between their home and the river began to give way. Tom Bashaw said that when they lost trees including a mango and a monkey pod, they began throwing items into bags and packing up. He said that within roughly half an hour to 45 minutes, the river had risen to the edge of the home’s back deck.
The couple said they evacuated around 9 p. m. Friday and stayed in a nearby barn on the property overnight.
Immediate reactions from the homeowners
When they checked the house Saturday morning, Tom Bashaw said the damage was severe. “The whole backside of the house was in the river, gone, ” he said, adding that food and both bedrooms were gone. He said they began removing whatever they could salvage, describing limited remaining items such as a few pieces of furniture, tools, and cat food.
A second collapse followed around noon Saturday, Tom Bashaw said, as they were finishing their initial check of the property. He described grabbing the last item inside the garage before hearing cracking sounds moments later. “I held my phone up and videotaped it and it just went boom, right into the water, ” he said.
The Bashaws emphasized that they got out in time. “We vacated as quick as we could, ” Tom Bashaw said. “So we’re safe and we got each other. ”
maui property history and what the couple says changed
The Bashaws said they bought the property in 2018, built a cottage on one end, and later constructed the main house. They said they were still putting finishing touches on the home when the stream took it.
Tom Bashaw said the river typically rises a few times each winter, but they had not seen it threaten the home like this before. He said they understood this storm would be a major one and tried to leave as soon as conditions turned dangerous.
Quick context
The couple says fast-rising stormwater in Iao Valley eroded ground beneath their home, sending parts of the structure into the stream. They described a rapid progression from falling trees upstream to the river reaching the home’s deck edge.
What’s next
The Bashaws said they began salvaging what they could after daylight Saturday, but further collapse followed within hours. For now, they describe a focus on safety and recovery after the storm, as maui residents in Iao Valley face the immediate reality of what the stream surge left behind.
