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Hawaii is ill prepared
for a major disaster

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Big Island mayor and former state civil defense leader Harry Kim said that unlike New Orleans and the Gulf states, Hawaii is prepared for such a major disaster.

As an 18-year disaster preparedness official for the military on Oahu, I take exception to Kim's optimistic response. I have been involved in several hurricane preparedness exercises on Oahu -- normally held during the first week in May -- and have observed little involvement not only by military and civil defense officials, but also the general public.

Does anyone remember this past May's statewide exercise? Look back at the local news media for that week and see how much visibility there was for this annual exercise.

Having experienced both Hurricanes Ewa and Iniki, I can attest that there was little advance preparation by local, military and federal agencies, even though the weather services provide timely information. For example, two days after Iniki's direct hit on Kauai, the 25th Infantry Division tried to send several vehicles and military personnel to Kauai via Pearl Harbor. They were told by the mayor of Kauai to stay put until assistance was requested.

In the 13 years since Iniki, only two hurricanes have come close to the islands. One was Hurricane Daniel in 2000, which stalled to the east. Even while stalled, the Category 3 storm posed a threat. But only Maui County took aggressive action to prepare by releasing local government employees. Residents throughout the rest of the islands sat and waited for the storm to turn toward the islands or head away. Fortunately, Daniel dissipated to the north without striking Hawaii. I'm sure the mayor of Maui County was the butt of a number of jokes.

The unwillingness of public officials to make timely decisions as danger approached was the No. 1 reason for the downfall in response to Hurricane Katrina, and will be for a similar event in Hawaii. Decisions must take place early in the time line of such events and not come days afterward, as we are witnessing today with Katrina.

Public officials seem adverse to risk making early decisions to act. Take, for example, the near-tsunami in October 1994. It wasn't until 6 a.m. that the state officially announced it was going to activate the emergency warning. Roadblocks were effected at 9 a.m. in the evacuation areas. There was mass confusion as civil defense tried to evacuate tourists and residents downtown as well as in flood zones throughout Oahu. Schools serving as evacuation centers were deluged with parents trying to pick up their children in the same areas that officials were preparing to evacuate residents. The military command I was assigned to did not allow servicemen and women to retrieve family members until 8 a.m., allowing only one hour to fight through traffic caused by thrill seekers heading to the North Shore with coolers and lawn chairs hoping to see the major wave.

Another concern is with the local news media, especially radio and TV, who need to be prepared to work after normal hours (10:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.) to bring residents timely information. Several times during the past five years I have tried to contact the media when severe weather was occurring over-night, only to be told to wait until the "morning crew" arrived to get the latest information.

This will not do. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki made its most dangerous change between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., and by the time warnings were issued to the general public, it was too late. News stations that tout themselves as the "go to" station for weather information need to rethink what they are saying if their service doesn't cover 24 hours.

A final concern is the lack of sufficient emergency shelters on Oahu. With the spread of new housing in Leeward and Central Oahu, where are the additional shelters? My latest check of the local telephone book shows a mere four shelters for an estimated population of 50,000 in the Mililani area. Guidance on the state civil defense Web site states: "Shelters will be opened selectively depending on the severity of the incident." My question is: When will this decision be made, and how can even half of the 50,000 be handled in only four shelters?

So I challenge Mayor Kim and state civil defense and military authorities to take disaster preparedness seriously and get the public involved for a change, versus sitting in a room and war gaming such a situation. As many have said, it's not "if" such a storm hits Hawaii, but "when."

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