A Board of Water Supply crew is patching a water main break in a sinkhole on Punaluu Valley Road that has left residents without water and a road on which to exit their neighborhood by vehicle.

The road began buckling at about 7 p.m. Sunday, as Tropical Storm Darby was drenching the Windward Oahu area. At that time, though, residents said the hole was small and a car could drive over it.

Beneath the hole, a 16-inch water main ruptured during the evening storm, BWS spokesman Dymien Racoma said.

The combination of main break waters and storm floodwaters undermined the roadway, Racoma said. The resulting sinkhole was somewhat smaller than the current 12-by-20-foot hole, 8 feet deep, that a repair crew had to dig to mend the water main.

A crew responded to the scene last night, and repairs are expected to continue this afternoon and tonight.

Racoma said 24 customers are without water, but a water truck is available for residents.