Posted on: Sunday, September 18, 2005
COMMENTARY
We need specifics of Hawai'i's emergency plan
By Col. Peter F.C. Armstrong
Our mayor has recently assured us that Hawai'i is in good shape to protect its citizens from major storms. With all due respect to Mayor Mufi Hannemann, considering the absolute failure at the local, state and national levels in the New Orleans crisis, it is not unreasonable for Hawai'i's citizens to be skeptical and demand the details of his plan.
Let's be clear about what kind of storm we are talking about. We are not talking about Iniki or any of the other hurricanes we have experienced in the past three decades. I am talking about the "once-in-200-years" storm such as the devastating blow our Gulf Coast experienced.
If we are to be prudent, we have to plan for the worstcase scenario. And that is a Category 5 storm that strikes the south coast of O'ahu and destroys the port, docks and storage facilities from Sand Island to Ko Olina and inundates the floodplain. I have been told by knowledgeable sources that under these circumstances the basic needs of the people of Hawai'i — food, potable water, shelter and medicine — cannot be met in a case where the crisis extends not just for days but for weeks, or perhaps months.
How well does the average citizen know what he/she should do under those circumstances? Well, we know that we should have a private cache of pure water, food and medicine to last us "a few days" (FEMA's advice). We're supposed to tape our windows and secure any loose outdoor items. If we live on the floodplain, we're supposed to drive our cars to high ground. And that's about it. What happens if we can't return to our homes for weeks, or if your home no longer exists? What do you do then? Let me pose a few questions and ask you to ask yourself, do you know the answer?
Presuming there is a detailed plan for the worstcase scenario, has a full-scale emergency exercise been run? I know of none. Without serious and thorough training exercises, I can assure you that any complex plan will fail. Blowing our emergency sirens on the first day of the month just doesn't do it.
Communications. How does FEMA intend to coordinate and direct the efforts of police, fire, medevac and military assets after the first few days without a source of central power? How long will your batteries last so that you can respond to what needs to be done?
Emergency shelters. Where's yours? Do you know its location? Is it a hurricane-proof building? Very little construction in Hawai'i is designed to stand up to a Category 5 storm. Emergency shelters at schools are seldom strongly built, and a significant number are on the floodplain. Is emergency tentage dispersed throughout the island or is it centrally located? Shouldn't it be dispersed?
Emergency personnel. Will they be in place throughout our Islands before the onset of the storm? If they are not, once the hurricane has hit, it will be too late because many roads are certain to be impassable.
Food and water. Are stockpiles in decentralized locations so that they are readily available rather than in a central location? Are they above the floodplain? What plans have been made to protect them? (Think about New Orleans!)
Emergency medical needs. Most of our major hospitals such as Tripler, Queen's and Straub are not near where the poorest and neediest people are. What's the plan to meet their needs?
Private food stores, pharmacies and big-box stores. While we have a large and well-trained police force, firefighters, active-duty military and National Guard, they will be unable to do everything. Has our government reached out to private business and told them that government cannot do it all and point out they need to take steps to secure the goods in their own stores?
Tourism. There are probably at least 100,000 tourists in our Islands at any one time, and they don't carry hurricane emergency kits. What's the plan for them?
High-rises. In the case of breakdown of the electrical system, elevators are more than a convenience. They are vital to the existence of inhabitants of high-rises, many of whom are elderly. What do they do?
National assets. What has been done to involve national military assets in the planning for a Category 5 hurricane?
Airlines and military transports will need to organize on a scale similar to the Berlin Airlift of the late 1940s. Aircraft carriers can perform vital emergency services. Are they cut into our plan?
I could go on.
Our residents deserve to know the details of our emergency plans.
An educated citizenry always has been the backbone of our country. With their help, amazing things can be done when our moment of crisis comes.
Col. Peter F.C. Armstrong of Nu'uanu has been a longtime educator in the Islands and is a veteran of 30 years active service in the Marine Corps. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.
