Bill Text: HI SR103 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Civil Defense; Disaster Preparedness; Tsunami Evacuation Sites

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-1)

Status: (Passed) 2011-06-06 - (S) Certified copies of resolutions sent, 06-06-11. [SR103 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SR103-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	103
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the civil defense division of the Hawaii department of defense and the civil defense or emergency management agencies of the several counties to evaluate tsunami evacuation sites.

 

 

     WHEREAS, a tsunami is a series of powerful waves that are generated by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite and that can move hundreds of miles per hour through the open ocean, building in height, before crashing into coastal land; and

 

     WHEREAS, tsunamis occur relatively frequently in the Pacific Ocean because of high levels of seismic activity in the region; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the devastation wrought over the past decade by tsunamis in Java; the Solomon Islands and Chile; Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga; Haiti, Chile, and Indonesia; and most recently, Japan, should act as a reminder for communities in or near potentially tsunamigenic regions to increase efforts to develop awareness, preparedness, and mitigation procedures; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, areas less than twenty-five feet above sea level and within one mile of the shoreline are at greatest risk of damage including inundation, contamination of drinking water, fires from ruptured gas lines or tanks, and destruction of structures; and

 

     WHEREAS, during the tsunami warnings issued on March 10th and 11th of 2011, many residents in the State's evacuation areas were directed to evacuation sites that were located close to shorelines and in flat, low-lying areas; and

 

     WHEREAS, when major damage or loss of life is avoided, a natural disaster experience provides an important opportunity to review emergency procedures and preparedness plans; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, that the Civil Defense Division of the Hawaii Department of Defense is requested to work with the Civil Defense Agency of the County of Hawaii, the Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu, the Civil Defense Agency of the County of Kauai, and the Civil Defense Agency of the County of Maui to evaluate the appropriateness of tsunami evacuation sites in each of the counties of the State; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the evaluation of tsunami evacuation sites include an assessment of the sites' elevation, distance from the shoreline, proximity to gas lines or other potentially hazardous infrastructure, and vulnerability to the effects of a tsunami or related disaster such as wind damage, flooding, and inundation with debris, and also include recommendations for improving tsunami evacuation sites; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Civil Defense Division of the Hawaii Department of Defense is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2012; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Adjutant General of the Hawaii Department of Defense, Administrator of the Civil Defense Agency of the County of Hawaii, Director of the Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu, Civil Defense Manager of the Kauai Civil Defense Agency, and Emergency Management Officer of the Maui Civil Defense Agency.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Civil Defense; Disaster Preparedness; Tsunami Evacuation Sites