Maui County will be holding a Disaster Preparedness Expo on Saturday, June 4, 2016 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Queen Kaahumanu Center. There will be prize drawings throughout the event for disaster preparedness giveaways. Hurricane season starts June 1st so learn first- hand how to be prepared and ready. For more information visit  www.facebook.com/mauicivildefense or call (808) 270-7285.

The Kuau siren has been deemed irreparable, and due to the age of the siren, parts are no longer available.  The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is in the process of researching a new location possibly at nearby Lae Park. The new siren will be similar to others that were recently installed such as the one at Paia Youth and Cultural Center and covers a larger area. The county's role is to sound the sirens each month for testing and emergency notifications.

The Maui County Civil Defense Agency takes a layered approach to emergency notification by utilizing the following agencies/systems to distribute information quickly:  Maui Police Department, Maui County Community Emergency Response Team, Civil Air Patrol, EAS notification on radio/TV; Maui County Emergency Alerts utilizing Makaala. To sign up for county alerts visit www.mauicounty.gov/emergencyalerts. This is an excellent tool for staying informed.

On May 16, 2016, Ed Teixeira began serving the people of Hawaii County as the Interim Administrator for the Civil Defense Agency.

 

Mr. Teixeira served as the Hawaii State Civil Defense Chief, now called Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) from 1999 to 2011 and is often remembered for his efforts helping to build preparedness programs for vulnerable populations groups. Upon his retirement from the State of Hawaii, he worked as an adjunct instructor for Chaminade University of Honolulu in the Masters in Criminal Justice Administration, with a focus on Homeland Security Leadership Development.

A U.S. Army veteran with twenty-six (26) years of service, and can be reached at the County of Hawaii, Civil Defense Agency at (808) 935-0031.

Although Hawaii County has the Dengue situation in check, the Hawaii County Civil Defense continues to remind everyone to be vigilant about the immediate environment and mitigate any possible areas of ponding where mosquitoes can lay their eggs. Clear brushes and plants that tend to hold moisture or collect water.

While the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) will continue to closely monitor for new cases of locally transmitted mosquito-borne diseases, there will no longer be updates on a daily basis. For more information about mosquito-borne diseases and investigations, please visit DOH Mosquito-borne Diseases at health.hawaii.gov/docd/dengue-outbreak-2015/ or on the Hawaii County website for a Frequently Asked Question fact sheet on Dengue fever at health.hawaii.gov/docd/files/2015/11/Fight-the-Bite-Fact-Sheet.pdf.

The Hanapepe-Eleele Community Association under the leadership of Jean Sousa has completed a Hawaii Hazards Awareness and Resilience Program (HHARP) training workshop which outlined the process of developing a disaster and recovery plan, understand the emergency management process in Hawaii, and identified what the community wanted to address at future workshops. The next workshop is scheduled for June 14. The public from all parts of Kauai is invited to participate in the workshops.  HHARP program information can be viewed at www.scd.hawaii.gov/hharp.htm.

Contact the County of Kauai Civil Defense Agency for more information at (808) 241-1800.

State Representative Andria Tupola, House District 43 will be hosting the second annual Wake Up Westside Emergency Preparedness Fair. It is scheduled for:

Date:   Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Time:   6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Place:  Nanakuli High School Cafeteria / Multipurpose Room

For more information contact Hauoli Heir, Office Manager for Representative Tupola at (808) 586-8465.

Heat safety tips: 

Although anyone at anytime can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at higher risk than others.  Check regularly on: 

Learn about the symptoms for heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and sunburn and how to respond immediately.

Some resources: