honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Maui to review tsunami response, evacuation following complaints


Associated Press

WAILUKU, Hawaii — Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares has directed her staff to review the county’s tsunami response and evacuation plans.

Some residents complained during Saturday’s tsunami warning that the county didn’t provide any place for people to evacuate to even though the government ordered people to leave low-lying coastal areas.
There were no facilities, including bathrooms, available for people who waited for hours until the warning was lifted.
County spokeswoman Mahina Martin says shelters are opened and operated by the American Red Cross, which makes the sites available only after a disaster hits.
Martin says this allows the Red Cross to concentrate its staff and resources on the most seriously damaged areas.
———
Information from: The Maui News, http://www.mauinews.com