In recognition of Tsunami Awareness Month, the students at Jefferson Elementary School started Tsunami Month with a drill. According to the Department of Education, of the 256 public schools statewide, there are 24 in the tsunami evacuation zone.

 
To acknowledge the tsunami in Hilo, KITV aired this brief video commemorating the event:

www.kitv.com/clip/12334938/tsunami-anniversary 

To view photos of the 1946 tsunami in Hilo, click on the following link:
www.hawaiinewsnow.com/slideshow?widgetid=180204 

And finally, a link to a video that provides some key awareness tips about preparing for a tsunami:

www.hawaiinewsnow.com/clip/12333126/awareness-key-to-preparing-for-tsunamis

To find out if you are in a tsunami evacuation zone visit the NOAA site at:

tsunami.csc.noaa.gov/#/ 

When you get to the site, click on the button that allows the use of your current location.

The two video links provide closed captions for the narration. Mahalo to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) who provided the links used in this article.

For more information about tsunami evacuation maps, you should check your local maps in the telephone book or enter your address in the map viewer on HI-EMA website at www.scd.hawaii.gov. It will show you if you live, work, or play in an evacuation zone.

The State Department of Health (DOH) is having a Strategic National Stockpile full scale exercise on Thursday, April 28, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. This is an Oahu event.

 

DOH will be setting up a public Point of Distribution (POD) to rapidly provide medications as if there were an actual health emergency. They are seeking volunteers to be actors to come in and pick up medication. There will be no actual treatments provided and no real medicine will be given to you. DOH is only asking for volunteer actors.

There is a need to have volunteers with different types of disabilities to see if you will understand directions given and know how to take the medication distributed. If you would like to volunteer for the event, you have several options to register and learn more about the program. You may call DCAB and register with Debbie Jackson at 586-8121 or e-mail her at dcab@doh.hawaii.gov or with Tammy Evrard at the Developmental Disabilities Council at 586-8100.  If you have a computer, and want to register yourself, go online to https://hawaiisns2016.eventbrite.com. Once you register, you will be e-mailed a ticket that you can print out and bring to the event.

 
Volunteers must be 18 years and older or minors accompanied by an adult. Volunteers will be asked to complete a short medication screening questionnaire for themselves with mock information. Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all registered volunteers. Please wear comfortable clothes.

The schedule for the exercise will be:

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.    Volunteer Actor Registration. Please arrive/sign-in no later than 9:30

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.  Volunteer Actor Briefing (DOH will explain the exercise to all volunteers)

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.  Point of Dispensing (POD) Exercise Operations

11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.  Volunteer Actor Feedback Session/Lunch

Please let DOH know if you need an auxiliary aid or service (ASL interpreter, material in alternate format, etc.) to participate in the exercise. The registration form has a space to fill in for auxiliary aids and services or other accommodations that may be needed, due to a disability, to participate in the event. We would like to encourage people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs to participate so that we can all learn what to do if such an event occurs.

Deadline for registration is April 19, 2016.

According to the DisasterAssistance.gov March 2016 E-News, Spring is National Severe Weather Safety Awareness season. During March, April and May there is a possibility of  severe weather threats throughout the country. That can be seen by the recent snow that hit the northeast United States just last week. It is unusual for the cherry blossoms to bloom in Washington, D.C. and a week later have snow.

 

There is a safety campaign sponsored by the National Weather Service to provide information to keep you and your family safe in the event of severe weather. Visit the National Weather Service website for more information about the threat of severe weather such as tornadoes, tsunamis, rip-currents/beach threats, and lightning to get a head start on protecting yourself now.

Stay safe by being prepared and informed of what is happening in your community and state.

The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Emergency Management is providing advanced notice about Emergency Preparedness Fairs for 2016. Look for the one in your area and join us!

All fairs are on Saturdays, except the June 29th fair which is a Wednesday.

Save the dates on your calendar and visit the fair in your area! If you live in another county, contact your County Civil Defense Agency and ask about when there will be Disaster Preparedness Fairs in your area.

For more information, contact the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Emergency Management at (808) 723-8956 and ask for Crystal.

State officials tested new emergency sirens on Wednesday, April 13 and Thursday, April 14 in East Maui and South Maui.