Disability and Communication Access Board
State of Hawaii
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Emergency Preparedness E-News
for Individuals with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
April 2010 Issue 7
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Greetings!
April is Hawaii Tsunami Awareness Month. For a list of activities, visit the
International Tsunami Information Centre and look at the middle section of the page and click on "Hawaii Tsunami Awareness Month, April 2010." Preparations are also underway for the
annual Makani Pahili at State Civil Defense. This is the annual
interagency community hurricane preparedness exercise. Hurricane season
will be upon us in June, so we hope everyone has their hurricane kits
ready! Thank you to those who sent me information for this
issue. Keep the information coming so we can present you with the most
current information possible. Please e-mail items to me at debbra.jackson@doh.hawaii.gov.
Your feedback and comments are also appreciated!
Aloha,
Debbie Jackson
Planner
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Tsunami Readiness: A Personal Experience from a Person with a Visual Impairment
Landa and Miss Pearline | It was amazing that I was so calm, but it was because I
was prepared and had a plan. This was due to State Civil Defense
because I attended a preparedness meeting conducted by Danny Tengan. He
came to my apartment complex, which is all seniors, and he did such a
great job making us aware of what to do in case of a tsunami. He helped
us decide whether we would prefer to go to a shelter or make a plan and
go up to the fourth floor and take care of each other. Whatever our
decision was, his presentation was a real eye opener about the
importance of personal preparedness.
The first thing I did after
hearing the alert last February was get my rolling suitcase from under
the bed and pack a change of clothes, shoes, socks, medications, then a
sleeping mat/bag, Coleman lantern, and flashlight. I also prepared a
carry-on full of food, first aid kit and my water. My guide dog's bag
(containing her food, blanket, etc.) was also ready. In addition, I had
prepared a Coleman stove/propane, bucket and bags to line it to be used
for going to the restroom, in case there were no toilet facilities. I
had duct tape ready to tape my refrigerator doors. Then I unplugged all my
appliances and computer, TV, etc. My food bag has a copy of my ID along
with other important papers. Because I am visually impaired, I can't
read the phone book so I have a check off list of things to do in my
computer and a hard copy in large print packed. I was ready in less then
10 minutes, and was calm because I was prepared. This was an
improvement over when Iniki hit, and I was in a state of panic.
Danny
Tengan of Civil Defense will be presenting at the Hawaii Association of
the Blind meeting on May 1, 2010. You are welcome to come and learn how
to be prepared in case of an emergency. For more information, contact
me at (808) 341-8127 or e-mail me by clicking on my name below.
Article
submitted by Landa Phelan
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| Maui Tsunami Follow-up
 Marc Nishimoto, the Maui PHEP Planner with the Department of Health, obtained feedback from individuals in the County of Maui about their experience in the tsunami on February 27, 2010 that was generated from the Chile earthquake.
A few of the comments that related to people with disabilities and special health needs included: planning for families with members who have special needs should include waiting out emergencies in case there are no restroom facilities that are open for evacuation; designate holding areas opened to give people a place to wait (holding areas should have portable toilets, including accessible toilets for individuals with disabilities); use social networks (such as Facebook or Twitter) to provide updates to people; be aware of mental health needs of evacuees; and ensure that information provided by the media is correct (location of holding areas that are open and where pets can be dropped off during the event).
It was also noted that a private company on West Maui opened their gates allowing people to evacuate to higher ground. Individuals using the property need to be educated to clean up before leaving and not abuse the generosity of others. Kudos to all the companies that allowed the public an area to wait out the warning on private property.
In a letter published in the Maui News, Mr. Nishimoto suggests that everyone take the time to prepare for an emergency. A web site that provides excellent emergency preparedness information is MauiReady.org. The site provides information about a variety of emergencies and helps everyone prepare themselves ahead of time. Emergency readiness is a personal responsibility and we all need to be prepared.
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Connect CTY - Mass Notification Service
County of Kauai officials have a new mass notification service called Connect CTY. After the recent tsunami warning officials are urging Kauai residents and businesses to register for this free service.
The Garden Isle featured an article at the beginning of March about this service. Any resident or business in Kauai County may register for this service that is designed to notify individuals with county news releases. All publicly available residential and business phones are included on the Connect CTY system, if you move or change phone numbers, you should inform the county. Also, if you want to include a cell phone, text/pager and e-mail to increase your chance of being notified, you can receive information through alternate methods if you are away from your land line.
Connect CTY is designed to disseminate information quickly about civil defense emergencies such as tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, flash floods, and other situations that may impact the safety, property, or welfare of residents or visitors. To register for the service online, visit the County of Kauai web site. If you don't have internet access, call the county at 241-1800.  Register, Choose who to Contact, Choose how to Contact |
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Are You Ready? ASL YouTube Video
 The Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD) produced an emergency preparedness video posted on YouTube. Students from OSD are actors in the video. Instructions about how to assemble and what to include in your emergency readiness kit are provided.
The video is four (4) minutes long and is in American Sign Language (ASL). Go to the video by clicking on the image to the left or the word YouTube above. Thank you to Gerald Ohta at the Department of Health and Ed Chevy for sending information about the video! Everyone should take a few minutes to watch it. Hearing people are welcome. The video is captioned for the "signing-impaired." Smile.
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Contact Information
Disability and Communication Access Board
919 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 101
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: (808) 586-8121 (V/TTY)
Fax: (808) 586-8129
E-mail: DCAB General Delivery
Website: DCAB Home Page County of Hawaii: 974-4000, ext. 6-8121# Couny of Kauai: 274-3141, ext. 6-8121# County of Maui: 984-2400, ext. 6-8121# Molokai & Lanai: 1-800-468-4644, ext. 6-8121# | |
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