(BIVN) – The residents of Hilo are quite accustomed to rain. But the two-day torrential downpour over East Hawai‘i associated with the passing Hurricane Lane brought over 30 inches of rain to some areas, which was more than enough to test the streams and flood control systems of the Big Island.

The spectacle of the flash floods drew onlookers, like longtime Hilo resident Tracy Pacheco, as well as university students from Maui, Aleysa Martin and Rachel Hillen.

The raging waters behind her Komohana-area home also kept Pat Englehard awake at night. She said the Alenaio Stream, which eventually ends up at the Hilo Bayfront, is thankfully blocked from washing out her home by a 15 ft. high, 2 ft thick wall.

At 5 p.m., the Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported that Hurricane Lane had weakened into a tropical storm. The rains, however, continue in East Hawai‘i. A Flash Flood Warning remains in effect. Rain rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour over the saturated ground in the South Hilo and Puna Districts will causes streams and drainages to rise rapidly.