New TV show to
document Sacred Falls’
tragic rockfall

The debut episode will treat the
Mother's Day disaster seriously
and respectfully

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By Diana Leone
Star-Bulletin

A new Travel Channel show may debut in early summer with a segment about the Mother's Day Sacred Falls tragedy.

"Secrets of Travel Survival" is filming this week on Oahu using a local camera crew, said producer Frank Snepp.

The show will focus on advising travelers to play it safe when they are exploring unknown locations.

"We will advise them to be sensible, find out about the weather, if there have been any incidents in the area," Snepp said.

He acknowledged that the May 9, 1999, Sacred Falls rockfall, in which eight people were killed and 34 injured, is not something anyone could have known was going to happen. The show will give general tips such as heading for a valley wall in the event of a rockfall.

Another intent of the show is to "show the professionalism of the rescuers," Snepp said.

One segment for the hourlong show was shot at the Kaaawa Fire Station to illustrate how quickly firefighters gather their gear and head out on a rescue mission.

The show spoke to Fire Battalion Chief Kenneth Silva, the incident commander at the Sacred Falls rescue scene, and firefighter Mark Yeager. They were interviewed in the parking lot of the still-closed Sacred Falls State Park, said Capt. Richard Soo, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman.

Since the park itself is still off limits, the show will use news footage and scenes filmed before the accident and subsequent park closure.

Snepp said the show is part of the Travel Channel's move to "launch a new image."

The show will be serious and respectful, he said, without any graphic re-enactment of the accident scene. He hopes to have some interviews with survivors of the incident as well as rescuers.