Bill Text: HI HR6 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Resolution 6 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Urging The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency To Improve Its Management, Operations, And Public Education.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-08 - Referred to PBS/VMI, FIN, referral sheet 18 [HR6 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HR6-Introduced.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	6
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO improve its management, operations, and public education.

WHEREAS, on the morning of January 13th, 2018, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency broadcasted an alert to cellphones, televisions, and radios, stating that a ballistic missile was inbound to Hawaii, instructing people to seek shelter immediately, and stating falsely that "THIS IS NOT A DRILL"; and

WHEREAS, in the ensuing panic, people rushed to shelter, fled city centers, contacted friends and family to find comfort, and said their final prayers in what they thought would be their last moments; and

WHEREAS, the United States Pacific Command confirmed with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency that there was no threat just three minutes after the alert went out, but it took twelve minutes for the first public false alarm notification to appear on social media; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency took thirty-eight minutes before it issued a comprehensive false alarm broadcast to all cellphones, televisions, and radios; and

WHEREAS, reports indicate that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency was completely unprepared for a false alarm situation, and had not even considered the need to send a false alert broadcast until the thirty-eight minutes of panic, during which the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency called the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help and advice; and

WHEREAS, the false alarm incident revealed the utter incompetence of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and showed the necessity for an overhaul of the agency's management and operations procedures; and

WHEREAS, the residents and guests of Hawaii should be able to have absolute confidence in the truthfulness of official messages about potential threats, and in the trustworthiness and competence of the public officials responsible for their protection; and

WHEREAS, the near-total confusion during those thirty-eight minutes of panic also show the need for further disaster-preparedness education and readiness training; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii cannot afford to be anything but prepared, educated, and ready because global tensions are at their highest point since the end of the Cold War and the enemies of the United States have explicitly targeted Hawaii; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the House of Representatives condemns the thirty-eight minutes of terror unnecessarily experienced by residents and visitors to Hawaii on Saturday, January 13th, 2018, expresses sympathy for all those affected, and resolves to do everything in its power to prevent such a mistake from reoccurring; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is urged to conduct a comprehensive review of its management and operational procedures to create more accountability, efficiency, accuracy, and preparedness for the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is urged to work closely with schools and other community organizations to conduct additional public education campaigns concerning the proper way to prepare and react in the catastrophic event of a ballistic missile or other threat becoming a reality; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director, the Administrator, and the Executive Officer of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Mayor of Honolulu, the Mayor of Maui, the Mayor of Kauai, and the Mayor of Hawaii.

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