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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, March 11, 2010

Maui County spends nearly $114,000 responding to tsunami threat

Advertiser Staff

Maui County has released the amount of money spent on its tsunami preparedness on Feb. 27.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares said the tsunami threat cost the county $113,895, which was primarily attributed to overtime costs for personnel in the following departments: police, parks, environmental management, fire, public works, Civil Defense, planning, and housing and human concerns.

"When we're faced with the imminent threat of a natural disaster, we take immediate steps to protect the public's safety," Tavares said in a statement. "In situations like these, one life lost is one life too many and despite the costs we incurred, I'm grateful that we escaped unharmed."
Tavares said she may propose to the County Council that the departments be reimbursed from the county’s emergency fund as the departments are facing budget deficits in the current fiscal year.
Hawaii County on Tuesday said it spent about $274,000 responding to the tsunami threat. The City and County of Honolulu spent around $330,000 responding to the disaster.