For University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa PhD student Brian Gorberg, the devastating Kona low storms weren’t just an academic research topic—they were a recurring nightmare that inundated his home three times in less than four weeks. Renting the bottom bedroom of a home in Waialua on Oʻahu’s north shore, Gorberg witnessed the final and most severe flood send an 8-foot wall of water through his place.
After experiencing two recent floods that ruined his belongings, Gorberg was seeking refuge at a friend’s house down the street when the third flood hit. The flash flooding was catastrophic, acting like a “dam spillway” through his neighborhood. The water destroyed his Jeep Patriot given to him by his dad, caused a neighboring house to spin off its foundation, and trapped another neighbor in neck-deep water.
“I got woken up by a giant wave,” Gorberg said. “I assumed the worst because I study hydrology. I assumed the dam failed and I knew I had to get out of the watershed. So, I drove all the way to the evacuation site. I actually ran up the hill because I didn’t believe the evacuation site was safe enough.”
Flooding expertise proved critical
Gorberg’s academic background proved critical during the floods. As an student in the and working with the under advisor Chris Shuler, his expertise allowed him to understand the mechanics of the disaster. During the floods, Gorberg spent hours walking through his neighborhood trying to warn residents ahead of the rising waters.
Gorberg¡¯s current research work is to create high-end, reproducible flood models and stage height maps to better protect local communities. Working alongside undergraduate students Chiara Duyn, Megan Wong and Anne Dominique, Gorberg created a that provides residents with transparent, scenario-based flood information.
While the app and Gorberg¡¯s maps currently focus on Windward O?ahu watersheds such as Kāneʻohe, the underlying flood models are designed to be reproducible, and Gorberg aims to eventually expand this mapping to any flood zone across Â鶹´«Ã½. The flood maps simulate exact inundation levels when local streams breach their banks at incremental heights—such as 12, 13 or 14 feet—allowing communities to visualize their risk and prepare for an approaching storm.
Reflecting on the tools he is building, Gorberg emphasized the urgent need for better preparedness in Â鶹´«Ã½.
“Every stream gauge in the mainland has these maps. It’s not fair that Â鶹´«Ã½ doesn’t have it, especially considering these events,“ Gorberg said. ”And because there are graduate students like myself who have created this… that’s like the missing link in Â鶹´«Ã½ that would honestly solve this event, or would have been different if we had those maps.”