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State of Hawaii
June/July 2013
  Issue 32
UH Maui College Exercise
Emergency Preparedness E-News

for People with Disabilities and other Access and Functional Needs
Recent Activities
Greetings! 

The Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB) has had staff busy with several emergency preparedness activities collaborating with various state and county agencies planning for Makani Pahili 2013, the annual hurricane exercise.

This year, Makani Pahili has three (3) hurricane shelter exercises for which we have been recruiting volunteers with disabilities to assist with on Oahu. They are scheduled for Saturday, June 1, 2013.  The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and Department of Parks and Recreation, American Red Cross, and the Hawaii Department of Education sent out a notice to the public requesting volunteers at emergency evacuation sites which are at Nanakuli High School, Waialua Intermediate and High School and Halawa District Park.

Volunteers will participate in the shelter process including registration and other sheltering activities. The City is seeking approximately fifty (50) volunteers to participate in the exercise at each of the three (3) locations on Oahu. Volunteers should be 18 years old or older, and those younger than 18 must have a parent or guardian with them at the exercise.

Volunteers, especially people with disabilities or access and functional needs (PAFN), are important to the exercise to make the experience as realistic as possible for responders. Responders need to learn how to provide services to everyone in the community, including people with disabilities. If you have time on Saturday, June 1, 2013, between 9:00 - 11:30 a.m., please go to one (1) of the sites to participate.

The exercise is an excellent opportunity for you and your family to practice your evacuation plan by going to a shelter location with your "Go-Kits" and supplies. During this exercise there will also be experts who will review the supplies in your kits and provide feedback to you about items you may want to include.

Planning and preparing are the best way to be ready in case an emergency happens. Be ready! 
 
Aloha,

Debbie Jackson
Planner
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evacuationEvacuation Needs for People with Medical Dependencies
State of Hawaii Health Department Logo
The Department of Health (DOH) Public Health Preparedness Program is hosting a workshop titled "Planning of the Unique Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Needs of People with Medical Dependencies during a Disaster." Cosponsors are the Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB) and the Executive Office on Aging (EOA). The workshop is designed for management and planning-level officials of an organization and will help participants to: define medical dependencies; identify people with medical dependencies; identify the needs of this population and how to plan for them; develop emergency planning coalitions to include appropriate stakeholders as representatives; and plan for and execute recovery after a disaster.
 
The course is targeted for emergency managers and planners, shelter workers/CERT teams, public health officials, community support groups/home health care agencies, first responders, municipal officials, and anyone else involved in decision-making for evacuation and sheltering. The course is free and is an eight-hour workshop for up to forty (40) participants. Lunch will be provided and registration by July 5, 2013 is required. The workshop will be on Monday, July 22, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 919 Ala Moana Blvd. in the 5th floor conference room.

The workshop is funded by a FEMA Competitive Training Grant Program and will feature a speaker from FEMA.  Anyone registering for the workshop who needs an auxiliary aid or service (print materials in alternate format, ASL interpreter, captioning, etc.) should contact David Kanno at EOA, (808) 586-7321 or by email to [email protected].

Registrations can be completed online at:  www.surveymonkey.com/s/PMD07222013.
 
For more information about the workshop, contact Judy Kern at the DOH Public Health Preparedness Program at (808) 587-6372 or email her at [email protected]
volunteersVolunteers Needed to Conduct County Surveys
woman measuring width of door
DCAB, in coordination with the County Civil Defense Agencies, is offering training in each county to teach volunteers how to conduct site reviews of evacuation shelters. DCAB is sending two (2) staff to conduct a brief training for volunteers on how to use various tools (smart levels, door pressure gauges, tape measures, and checklists) for surveys, and will visit a site that is currently identified as an evacuation shelter and practice using the tools to determine whether or not elements and buildings that will be used during an emergency are accessible.  

 

The site review training is being offered in each county to determine what elements and areas within each building are accessible according to ADA standards. The site reviews will assist the state and county develop appropriate transition plans to make corrections to sites that do not meet current U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accessibility standards. The results of the site reviews will not be used to eliminate facilities from being used as evacuation shelters. There already is a shortage of shelter space, so the information will be used to plan proactively, so that in the future all identified shelters will be accessible for everyone in the community. According to State Civil Defense, evacuation shelter responsibilities are being transitioned from the state to the counties.

Trainings are being scheduled for July 2013. If you would like to volunteer to learn how to review shelter sites for accessibility, please contact the County Civil Defense Agency in your area to find out the date, time and location of the training. The phone number for the agency in your county is:
  • County of Hawaii, Civil Defense Agency   (808) 935-0031
  • City and County of Honolulu, Department of Emergency Management   (808) 723-8960
  • County of Kauai, Civil Defense Agency   (808) 241-1800
  • County of Maui, Civil Defense Agency   (808) 270-7385
DCAB is providing technical assistance for the training, as well as providing tools to be used to conduct the surveys in each county.
kqngKQNG Upgrades Civil Defense Signal
KQNG Radio Logo
On May 12, 2013, The Garden Island posted an article about the KQNG broadcast towers undergoing renovation over the next few weeks to boost the civil defense system on Kauai.
 
Andy Melamed, the KQNG Radio Group General Sales manager, said that this marks the first time major infrastructure replacements will be made to the station's site. There have been upgrades completed in the past, since the station was built in the mid-1980s but these are the first major replacements to be done.

This is a $500,000 project that Melamed said will include refurbishing the station's antenna and installation of a 130-kilowatt generator to provide an uninterrupted power source during inclement weather and intermittent outages. The company is paying for the improvements, and is also installing a switch to turn on the generator and power the radio station signal from the tower site 24 hours a day.

Mark Marshall, Kauai Civil Defense Agency's emergency management officer, said the current FCC regulations allows for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to send out weather-related notifications to Hawaii State Civil Defense which then disseminates the information to the County Civil Defense Agencies. The message is transmitted to KQNG, Kauai's selected primary carrier, based on the number of listeners. It is then relayed to other island radio stations. "Media outlets, such as newspapers and radio stations are some of the ways residents get information related to emergencies," said Marshall.

When Hurricane 'Iniki struck the state in September 1992, Melamed recalled station employees strung a small antenna to a telephone pole to broadcast civil defense information to residents after the high winds knocked out the radio station's antenna and transmitter. The station was unable to play music for four (4) weeks following 'Iniki. Melamed continue to say that the station was a vital part of the entire recovery process. After 'Iniki, there were many homeless people, no resources and a lack of any type of communication. KQNG informed people where to go, what to do and where to get help.

Through this and other experiences, the radio station has a deep relationship and connection to the community!

Excerpted from The Garden Island
"KQNG Upgrades Boost Civil Defense Signal" by Darin Moriki,
May 12, 2013
mauiMaui County Tsunami Maps Updated
County of Maui Seal
The County of Maui's Civil Defense Agency announced on May 25, 2013 that the county's tsunami maps have been updated based on recently released scientific data.
 
The updated maps include expanded evacuation areas in Kahului, Kihei and Lahaina, as well as maps for Kahakuloa village and Keanae, which had not previously been mapped.  Maps can be found on the Civil Defense web page at www.mauicounty.gov/civildefense. Choose the link on the left menu bar titled "Maui Tsunami Evacuation Maps."

Mayor Alan Arakawa said "Please check the updated maps carefully because they mean that some households that were not instructed to evacuate during past tsunami warnings may now be included in the evacuation zone." The new information may help Maui residents to be better prepared for a tsunami.

The maps were developed closely with the county's emergency management partners and the first-responder community to develop new inundation zones. The plan is to include the maps in the phone book next year. The county is encouraging the public to visit the website to review the recent changes. It is especially important for people with disabilities or access and functional needs to review the maps for accessibility. Information that is available on a county or state website needs to be accessible to everyone in the community.

The County Civil Defense Agency is scheduling community meetings in each district to introduce the maps and discuss recent changes with residents. If you have feedback regarding any accessibility issues related to the maps, the community meetings would be a good opportunity to share your concerns.

Excerpted from The Maui News
"County's Tsunami Maps Updated"
May 25, 2013
televised Televised Emergency Information to be Accessible to Blind
FCC Logo

The U.S. government has adopted rules requiring video programming distributors and providers-including program owners-to make televised emergency information accessible to individuals who are blind, or otherwise visually impaired.

 

On May 24, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) posted a Federal Register notice - Accessible Emergency Information; Apparatus Requirements for Emergency Information and Video Description: Implementation of the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 - that provides details on the regulation, which takes effect on June 24, 2013.

 

To meet the regulation, video programming providers, distributors and program owners must use a secondary audio stream to convey televised emergency information aurally when such information is conveyed visually during programming other than newscasts, such as in an on-screen crawl, the FCC says.

 

The requirement will serve the public interest by ensuring that televised emergency information is accessible to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, the FCC says. In addition, the FCC is requiring certain devices that play back or record video programming to make available video description services and accessible emergency information. Specifically, the device rules require a secondary audio stream, which is currently used to provide video descriptions, be configured to provide aural emergency information.

 

Examples of the types of emergencies in which an audio stream would be required include tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, tidal waves, earthquakes, icy conditions, heavy snows, widespread fires, discharge of toxic gases, widespread power failures, industrial explosions, civil disorders, school closings and changes in school bus schedules resulting from such conditions, and warnings and watches of impending changes in weather, the FCC says.

 

Among the "critical details" that are to be made part of such emergency broadcast include the areas affected by the emergency, evacuation orders, specific evacuation routes, approved shelters or the way to take shelter in a dwelling, instructions on securing personal property, road closures and how to obtain relief assistance, the FCC says.

  

To access the Federal Register notice, go to www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-05-24/html/2013-11577.htm.

 

Information from Government Video, May 29, 2013
prepawards2013 Individual & Community Preparedness Awards
FEMA logo
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced yesterday that applications are now being accepted for the 2013 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness (ICP) Awards. You may nominate outstanding individuals, organizations, Citizens Corps Councils and programs working to make our community safer, stronger and better prepared for any disaster or emergency.

 

ICP Awards application period is open through June 5, 2013. All submissions must feature achievements taking place between January 1, 2012 and June 5, 2013. applications are available at www.ready.gov/citizen-corps-awards. Make sure you are in the 2013 tab, scroll down the page, and applications are available in PDF and MS Word formats.

A panel of judges from the emergency management industry will select the winners in each of the following categories:
  • Outstanding State Citizen Corps Council Initiatives;
  • Outstanding Local Citizen Corps Council Initiatives;
  • Outstanding Community Emergency Response Team Initiatives;
  • Preparing the Whole Community;
  • Awareness to Action: and
  • Community Preparedness Heroes.

Winners of the 2013 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards will be announced in fall 2013. They will also be FEMA's honored guests at a community preparedness roundtable event in Washington, D.C. As you prepare your submission, don't forget to take a look at previous winners on FEMA's website.

 

All applications should be submitted to [email protected] for review by June 5, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. E.D.T. 

Contact Information:                                                                      
Color State Seal of Hawaii
                                                                                   
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: (808) 974-4000, ext. 6-8121#
County of Kauai:   (808) 274-3141, ext. 6-8121#
County of Maui:    (808) 984-2400, ext. 6-8121#
Molokai & Lanai:   1-800-468-4644, ext. 6-8121#