I spent a few hours this morning at a Red Cross drill. It was a simulation of the opening and operation of an area disaster shelter. The simulated event was a tropical storm that was gheading towards us and expected to be upgraded to a hurricane. It was held at Mililani Uka Elementary School, which is the site of one of our shelters.
Living on an island that is geographically the furthest point on the planet from a major land mass, puts an extra burden on us to be self-sufficient and as prepared as possible for disasters.
The exercise went extremely well. I was so impressed who organized they were. To manage so many volunteers in such an orderly manner was a thing to see. This was the 2nd such drill in central Oahu. I am not sure how many volunteers attended, but would have to guess close to 100. Several agencies were represented to assist people of special needs. The Humane Society also participated. This shelter will be taking in pets during an emergency.
Governor Linda Lingle appointed me and to serve as a Commissioner on the State Civil Defense Advisory Council. I was confirmed by the state senate. My current 4 year term began in July 2005 and expires July 2009. Disaster shelters are one of my primary concerns.
Related Websites:
- Hawaii Civil Defense: http://www.scd.hawaii.gov/
- City & County of Honolulu Dept. of Emergency Management: http://www.honolulu.gov/ocda/
- Hawaii County civil Defense: http://www.hawaii-county.com/directory/dir_defense.htm
- Maui County Civil Defense: http://www.mauicounty.gov/departments/CivilDefense/
- Kauai County Civil Defense: http://www.kauai.gov/Government/Departments/CivilDefenseAgency/tabid/90/Default.aspx
- Hawaii Red Cross: http://www.hawaiiredcross.org/
- Recommendations for a disaster preparedness kit: http://www.scd.hawaii.gov/dp_kit.html
- Shelter in Place: http://www.scd.hawaii.gov/documents/shelterinplace.pdf
- A list of shelters in Hawaii: http://www.scd.hawaii.gov/documents/2006HuricaneShelters4-5-07.pdf
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