QUESTION: My mother was bedridden at home with hospice care. On Feb. 27, when there was a tsunami alert, our first inclination was to transfer her to an evacuation center. But no one was at Aina Haina Elementary School, which was designated as an evacuation center on the Civil Defense map, even after 9 a.m. And at Wailupe Valley Elementary School, my son was told the evacuation center would not be open until after the disaster. The hospice folks advised us to go to a relative's house. We called 911 to ask about an ambulance because my mother could not be put into a car, but we were told they could only transport her to a medical facility. But because it was not a medical emergency, they could not even do that. They gave us numbers for the Handi-Van and another medical transport, but by then the roads were being closed down. We ended up carrying my mom to the second floor of a neighbor's house and prayed that nothing would happen. The bottom line is that the evacuation centers were not available to even transport my mom to them — that's the main thing we were so upset about. I don't understand the logic. They want people to be moved, but what about when you have a special-needs situation? I'm sure we're not the only people who had that problem.

ANSWER: Tsunami shelters on Oahu are not meant to be opened during an evacuation.

Instead, everyone is advised to immediately head inland or to higher ground, either out of the evacuation zone or to at least the third floor of a concrete, steel-reinforced building.

“;We understand and empathize with Oahu residents who encountered difficulty during the recent tsunami evacuation,”; said John M. Cummings III, spokesman for the city Department of Emergency Management.

His office “;urges all residents, especially those with family members who have special needs, to work out evacuation and sheltering needs far in advance of a disaster, and have prearranged transportation and sheltering options (at a relative or friend's home) planned out.”;

Cummings explained that during a tsunami evacuation, emergency personnel will not have time to plan for staffing and opening shelters, because the focus is to get residents out of evacuation areas as quickly as possible.

Emergency shelters would be opened, if needed, following a destructive tsunami to help those whose homes are damaged or destroyed, he said.

On the day of the tsunami warning, “;all of our public information reiterated that residents need to exit the shorelines if they are in an evacuation zone,”; Cummings said. “;If they were out of the evacuation zone, then they were instructed to stay where they (were) and keep streets and highways open for evacuees and first responders.”;

No information was released regarding shelters, he said, pointing out that tsunami shelters on Oahu haven't been listed (under “;Disaster Preparedness Guide”;) in telephone directories for years.

The state Civil Defense Web site has a listing of “;Public Emergency Shelters,”; including those shelters that can accommodate people with special needs and those with pets, that are out of flood zones and able to withstand hurricane-force winds.

They would be used in the event of a hurricane or for temporary, less urgent emergencies as determined by the counties.

But they are not meant to shelter people during a tsunami evacuation.

“;We've gone over this scenario so many times,”; said Edward Texeira, vice director of state Civil Defense. “;We don't want people going to a shelter”; because all it might take for residents to be safe is to go a few blocks out of an evacuation zone, instead of traveling farther to a shelter.

Another reason: Opening shelters would require people to be called in to staff them, which would not only put them in harm's way, but clog up the roads “;and be part of the problem,”; Texeira said.

That all said, Civil Defense officials are aware that more needs to be done to help people with special needs in tsunami evacuation zones.

“;That is a challenge,”; Texeira said. “;Anyone operating a care facility or residential care unit has to think about, 'What are we going to do with residents when we have just a very, very short time to get folks out?' How are you going to do that?”;

People who operate such facilities should contact the city agency or state Civil Defense to see what help might be available, he said.

Texeira also said families with a special-needs member can contact his agency at 733-4300 for suggestions and recommendations on what to do.

“;We are working on several initiatives,”; including contacting nongovernment agencies such as Lions Clubs, to see whether they can provide help during emergency situations.

“;Addressing the emergency preparedness needs of our vulnerable population groups is very, very high on our priority lists, and the clock is ticking,”; Texeira said.

The state Civil Defense Web site — http://www.scd.state.hi.us — has a “;Prepare Now”; template to create a plan, including who to call; what to do with pets; a checklist of items to have; and what various watches, warnings and advisories mean.

The Web site also has advice on what to put in an emergency preparedness kit.

Meanwhile, the telephone directory also is a good source of information on how to get ready for, and what to do in, an emergency.

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