LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A new storm system carrying heavy rain and thunderstorms swept across Kaua'i yesterday and continued into the night, hampering the search for survivors of Tuesday's dam breach and threatening more flooding.

"The poor folks on Kaua'i — it's happening again," said state Civil Defense director Maj. Gen Robert Lee.

Ten people sought refuge in county shelters in Waimea and Kilauea yesterday, and the shelters remained open overnight. Forty-five National Guard troops are helping with response to the flooding. Pumps, some contributed by other counties and delivered by C-17 aircraft, have been placed at critical areas.

"We now have pumps in place so we'll be able to respond more quickly," Mayor Bryan Baptiste said.

Rains were so heavy at the Kaloko Reservoir and Wailapa disaster scene at midday that they forced away the National Guard helicopter taking vice director of State Civil Defense Ed Teixeira on an inspection tour. He said he hoped to return to complete his tour by car.

Baptiste said an excavator was ordered to cut down the middle of the Morita Reservoir dam during the night when reservoir levels began rising, despite an open drain valve and constant pumping.

"We won't be taking it entirely down, but we did it to make it safer so we don't have a breach," he said.

Kaua'i Fire Chief Bob Westerman said search crews continued working in the rain to locate flood victims. Seven people have been reported missing — lost when their homes were swept away. Three bodies have been found.

Swimmers were warned to stay out of the water when sharks were sighted at muddy Kealia Bay, and the county warned that lifeguard towers were minimally staffed, because personnel were participating in the Wailapa search.

Teixeira said authorities will decide about midweek whether the damage from this month's Kaua'i and O'ahu flooding exceeds county and state capacities, and whether to ask for a presidential disaster declaration. But he said several kinds of federal assistance — including programs addressing economic and transportation concerns — can be made available without a federal declaration.

Baptiste said he has signed a $1 million emergency appropriation approved by the County Council, which helps the county cover some of the costs of responding to the disaster. Some of the costs may be reimbursable, but before the paperwork is done, "we have to front a lot of money," he said.

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.