The University of 51²è¹Ý at ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹’s Biomedical Sciences Building (Biomed) was heavily damaged by the October 30, 2004 flood, which hit the campus after intense, short-term downpours. The flooding destroyed years of vital medical research and contributed to an estimated $80 million in losses across campus. Over the past two decades, the university has worked to rebuild and improve, reflecting the resilience of the researchers and staff who were affected.
Impact on research, community
Biomed housed many faculty, staff and researchers from the (JABSOM) before the move to the Kakaʻako site, and the flood led to the loss of irreplaceable research samples as freezers thawed due to power failures.
“All the freezers were starting to thaw, mud was about four to five feet high, and the drywall was completely soaked,” recalled Sam Shomaker, now dean of JABSOM, who was vice dean at the time. “We brought in 20 portable generators and ran extension cords through the upper floors to power the freezers.”
It was like a hurricane raging through ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹.
—Stefan Moisyadi
Shomaker was out to dinner when the flood hit. “A faculty member called me from his lab bench, where he was standing with his dog as the flood tore through the building. I rushed to campus, but the entrance was blocked by police. I later learned they had to rescue him and a student by raft,” he said.
Among those affected was the late Ryuzo Yanagimachi, a pioneer in cloning research, whose (IBR) labs were located on the ground floor. “It was like a hurricane raging through ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹,” said Associate Professor Stefan Moisyadi, a member of Yanagimachi¡¯s team. He recalled the urgency in saving Cumulina, the world¡¯s first cloned mouse now part of the Smithsonian?s collection, by moving her to the second floor to escape the rising floodwaters.
Related: Hamilton Library 20 years after the 51²è¹Ý ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ flood, October 2024
Despite the devastation, IBR was one of the first labs to recover, rebuilding within six to eight months. “We recovered nicely compared to others, but it was a shattering experience for all of us,” said Moisyadi.
Shomaker reflected on the collective efforts that followed. “What I took away from that experience was seeing how tightly knit our ʻohana at JABSOM was¡ªand still is,” he said.
The university community worked tirelessly to preserve research and relocate displaced faculty, with new lab spaces opened at the newly completed JABSOM ʻohana site in 2005. A large generator was also brought in from the West Coast to support ongoing research.
“We had daily committee meetings to assess recovery progress. It was a remarkably complex process, but it demonstrated the resilience of our community,” Shomaker said.
Progressing from experience
Although most of Biomed has been rebuilt, the memories of the flood still serve as a reminder of the importance of preparedness. “Every time it rains, our janitors place sandbags around the building,” Moisyadi noted. He also stressed the need for regular maintenance of trees along ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ Stream to prevent future flooding.
Currently, all research projects are located on the second floor, while the offices, library, and the lunchroom are on the first floor. “If another flood occurs, there is little we can do, but we are better prepared because of what we already went through,” Moisyadi added.
Read more about 51²è¹Ý ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹¡¯s flood recovery efforts at Hamilton Library.