Image of DCAB Logo
State of Hawaii
September/October 2014
  Issue 39
Kona Lava Flow Meeting
Emergency Preparedness E-News

for People with Disabilities and other Access and Functional Needs
Mahalo!
 

Mahalo to the community for coming together at the beginning of August regarding efforts in preparing for and dealing with the aftermath of Tropical Storm Iselle. Acknowledgements to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (formerly known as State Civil Defense), and all of the volunteers who assisted with the clean up and who are still working on efforts to offer disaster assistance to residents of the Big Island's Puna District.

DCAB also acknowledges the interpreters and local news stations that provided communication access to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Hawaii News Now (HNN) added interpreters to the news broadcasts making it possible for people who depend on American Sign Language (ASL) as a primary method of communication, to understand what was happening during Tropical Storm Iselle. Captions were also available during the broadcasts and by adding interpreters it made the information available to a wider audience. The picture below was provided by HNN and DCAB also used it on our Emergency Preparedness exhibit booth banner. Mahalo HNN for going beyond minimum requirements to improve accessibility!
 

September is National Preparedness Month, and people need to make an emergency plan and a kit, or to rotate our food, water and medication in kits we put together earlier. Please take the time to do that so you won't worry about what to take with you to a shelter if you need to evacuate quickly. Emergencies and disasters do not give us much warning to prepare, so we need to plan and be ready now before it happens!     

  Hawaii News Now with interpreter

Until next time,

 

Debbie Jackson
Planner
In This Issue
Big Island Devastation

Oahu Emergency Readiness Fairs

Emergency Preparedness Survey

Feeling Safe, Being Safe Training

DCAB Summer Intern
Join our Mailing List!
Quick Links
BigIslandBig Island Devastation
Steam venting from recent lava flow
Steam vent from lava flow
It has been over a month since Tropical Storm Iselle hit
the Puna District on the Big Island. People who do not live on the Big Island cannot know first hand what the impact of Tropical Storm Iselle was. To get an idea of the devastation and what clean up needs to be done, please take a look at this video to get an idea. (A script for the narration in the video follows in the next paragraph. The following paragraph is audio description of what is seen on the video.)
  

Male speaker in the video:

"It's pretty nuts. Trees are down all over the place and the roads are supposed to be block right up ahead so we went to see how block it is, how crazy it looks around here.

When we come home and we checking out some of the houses over here guys. Remorseless during the storm and we are taking some footage from the air because they are not getting too much help even though you can full tell, you can full tell this is nuts. People's stairs got taken out, they need ladders to get into their place, roofing is gone flowing in the water."

 

Scenery:

Workers are entering the forest to move the albizia trees that were downed by the tropical storm. They worked hard clearing the trees off the roads. Footage filmed from above the impacted site shows mass amount of fallen trees. We can see the forest was damaged by scattered fallen trees. Electricity poles lay across the roads, blocking road access. Debris was scattered in the ocean water and around several neighborhoods. Fences, stairs, and ladders were destroyed. A male narrator summarized what he saw at the scene. A two-story white house was emptied out by the storm. The roof of the house was lifted off. The covers and roofing of houses were destroyed. Debris in the neighborhood piled up like it was a junkyard. An overhead view showed a lifeless forest with falling trees. Deep water flooded the neighborhood causing roads to disappear in the flood water.

Because a lot of the damage was on private roads, the county could not clear all the debris. The state activated Team Rubicon to assist with removing fallen trees and clearing areas that the county could not. Team Rubicon unites the skills and experience of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams to assist during an emergency. 

Thank you to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, first responders and volunteers and to people who donated their time, effort and funds to assist in the recovery for Puna. More assistance is needed with lava advancing daily and crossing Highway 130 in lower the Puna District. Alternate routes are being planned, as well as relocating schools and housing options for people who are affected by the lava. Keep the people in Pahoa in your thoughts as the lava continues to move towards it.
OahuFairsOahu Emergency Readiness Fairs
DCAB participated or will participate as an exhibitor at the following Oahu Disaster Readiness fairs:

2014 Ewa Beach Fair
Bathy Fong, Mayor Caldwell & Timothy Renken at 2014 Ewa Beach Get Ready Fair
4th Annual Get Ready Ewa Beach Emergency Preparedness Fair
Saturday, September 6, 2014
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Ewa Makai Middle School Cafeteria, 91-6291 Kapolei Parkway, Ewa Beach, HI 96706
  
Be Ready Manoa Emergency Preparedness Fair
Saturday, September 13, 2014
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Manoa Valley District Park, 2721 Kaaipu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96822
  
Kailua Emergency Preparedness Fair
Saturday, September 27, 2014
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Whole Foods Market parking area, 629 Kailua Road, Kailua, HI 96734

Events were planned to educate local communities about disasters and emergencies and how to prepare as part of September National Preparedness Month. The current disasters happening in the local community reminds us to make a plan, prepare a kit and to keep informed about what is happening in our local areas.

Mahalo to the City and County of Honolulu, Department of Emergency Management for inviting DCAB to participate and provide information to the community about emergency preparedness for individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. Each event was well advertised and had good community participation!

To find out what's happening in your local community, contact your respective County Civil Defense Agency.
SurveyEmergency Preparedness Survey
multiple choice answer sheet
DCAB is in the process of updating the "2009 Interagency Action Plan for the Emergency Preparedness of People with Disabilities and Special Health Needs." The title will change to reflect current terminology from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) related to how we refer to people with disabilities and special health needs.

 

The information gathered from the survey will assist DCAB in updating the plan to more accurately reflect what the community is aware of and how prepared we are to deal with a disaster or evacuation if one is necessary. Please let your friends, family members, co-workers and service providers know about the survey and ask them to also complete it.

The survey can be found by clicking on the Emergency Preparedness Survey link. If you prefer an e-mail of the survey, contact [email protected] and a copy of the survey will be sent to you. The deadline to complete the survey is November 30, 2014.

Thank you for your assistance in providing the information to DCAB. 

FSBSFeeling Safe, Being Safe Training
Feeling Safe Brochure The Center on Disability Studies (CDS) at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa is conducting a training called "Feeling Safe, Being Safe" on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at American Red Cross from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The training is a community-based program that assists people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to prepare for emergencies. The Hawaii Feeling Safe, Being Safe training is a modified version of California's Feeling Safe, Being Safe curriculum. The training is a collaboration between the UH, CDS and the Department of Health's Developmental Disabilities Division.

For more information about this training or to register e-mail [email protected] or call Heather at 956-4126 or Yoko at 956-9797.
 
SidneyDCAB Summer Intern
Red flower lei on rock at beach
A special mahalo to Sidney Li, a summer intern, who worked at DCAB. She was very helpful with many of the items currently being used in emergency awareness for people with disabilities. Sidney developed a new brochure that lists supplies for emergency kits for people with disabilities and their service animals that included graphics to make it easier to assemble a kit. She also compiled the survey that many of you will take to provide DCAB with information about your needs during times of emergencies. Sidney also developed an Emergency Preparedness Jeopardy game that was used at the DCAB exhibit at the "Be Ready Manoa" Emergency Preparedness Fair on September 13, 2014. In addition, she helped to select the give away prizes that were distributed at the Manoa fair. The prize was a key ring with a flashlight, whistle and compass that had the DCAB logo printed on it, and it was given to anyone who answered a Jeopardy question. And before she left, she began by inputting information for articles for this newsletter.

Sidney returned to American University in Washington, D.C. at the end of August. We acknowledge and appreciated her for all the work she did for DCAB in emergency preparedness, and wish her the best in her studies!

Mahalo and aloha, Sidney!!!
Contact Information:                                                                      
 
Image of 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

Call toll free from Neighbor Islands:
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#