Living on Oahu: Disaster Preparedness - Tropical Cyclones


Updated July 8, 2019 for 2019 hurricane season

As an island chain in the center of the Pacific Ocean, 5000 miles from anything, Hawaii is understandably concerned about sustainability, resiliency, and independence in the face of disasters.  And the potential disasters are many: cyclone, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, nuclear missile impact...

Hawaii Hazards Awareness and Resilience Program (HHARP)

I lived or worked in every state on the East Coast.  I've visited every state in the union except North Dakota.  I have never encountered a State sponsored neighborhood Disaster Preparedness Team before, nor a statewide training program.  Hawaii has 2 statewide training programs.  The first is HHARP.  This is the training and planning process every neighborhood Disaster Preparedness Team (DPT) goes through.  Most DPTs are on Oahu, we have the highest concentration of people and state and federal resources that would have to be mobilized to the other islands in the event of a disaster, so this does make sense.  We have to clean ourselves up quickly to get ourselves over to the other islands.

HHARP is sponsored by the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, part of the State of Hawaii Department of Defense (when you Google "State Department of Defense", you get options for the US DOD, or Georgia (US state, not the nation) or Hawaii).

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

In Hawaii HHARP is the first step to CERT certification.  CERT is a FEMA developed citizen training and certification program for volunteer emergency responders.  Training on Oahu is provided by City and County Honolulu Department of Emergency Management.



Hurricane season 2018 it felt like we actually had moved to North Carolina. Hurricane season in Hawaii runs May through October, slightly different from East Coast season.  Once a storm system crosses the 140-degree west longitude mark, it enters the Central Pacific area and would be in “Hawaiian” waters.

Our first Hurricane of the season, Hector, coasted south of us and provided some big waves, an increase in humidity, the not so lovely Kona winds, and a sprinkle.

From: NOAA NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center
When Lane was heading towards us, the Mililani Disaster Preparedness Team's presentation on Hurricanes was postponed for a month.   And one day walking back from dropping Monkey at elementary school, I watched the helicopters flying out of Wheeler Army Airforce Base in formation.

How does one prepare for such things on an island in the middle of the ocean?  If you own a smartphone, download the FEMA app, and the app for your county/island.  Ours is City and County of Honolulu:  HNL.info

Also, visit Honolulu Department of Emergency Management at www.honolulu.gov/DEM for more disaster preparedness information and to access downloadable information sheets and use the following information sources (pulled from one of CCH (City and County of Honolulu's) storm notices during hurricane season:

Evacuation Zones:

Be aware that if you live on the shoreline or near the ocean you may have to evacuate due to the hazard of hurricane produced storm surge. Review coastal evacuation maps in your telephone white pages or visit our web site at www.honolulu.gov/DEM and follow the instructions on the Tsunami Map Viewer to quickly see if you are in a tsunami/hurricane evacuation zone.

Emergency Alert System (EAS):

Important official emergency information such as evacuation notification and shelter locations will be broadcast over all TV and radio stations statewide using the EAS. Should your power go out during an emergency such as a hurricane, it then becomes vitally important that each household have a battery operated radio and spare batteries on hand to receive emergency information. Newer hand-crank generator or solar powered radios are also a good option. EAS broadcasts for major coastal evacuations will be aired in conjunction with a three-minute sounding of all Outdoor Siren Warning Systems on O‘ahu.

Emergency and Community Information via Social Media/Online:

Like and Follow the Department of Emergency Management on Twitter at @Oahu_DEM and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OahuDEM. Additional preparedness information can also be found on our website at www.honolulu.gov/DEM. Residents are also urged to follow Mayor Caldwell’s social media channels at: Twitter: @MayorKirkHNL; Facebook: facebook.com/MayorKirk; Instagram: instagram.com/mayorkirkhnl; and YouTube: youtube.com/MayorKirkHNL.

Emergency Email and Text Message Alerts:

O‘ahu residents are encouraged to sign-up to receive emergency email, cellphone text messages and push alerts from the City and County of Honolulu by downloading the free HNL.info app from the App Store or Google Play. You can also register online at https://hnl.info/alerts/login.php HNL.info is also perfect for vacationers and out of town family or guests. Standard text messaging rates may apply depending on your wireless carrier and plan.

Preparing your home:

• Protect your property. Declutter drains and gutters. Consider hurricane shutters. Review insurance policies.
• Be prepared to bring loose, lightweight objects inside that could become projectiles in high winds (e.g., patio furniture, garbage cans); anchor objects that would be unsafe to bring inside (e.g., propane tanks); and trim or remove trees close enough to fall on the building.
• Be prepared to cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” exterior grade or marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install.

Check insurance policies:

Remember that homeowners insurance alone will not cover hurricane damage. You will need separate policies for hurricane as well as flood insurance to protect against damage from coastal flooding. You can buy flood insurance separately through the National Flood Insurance Program. Make sure to check and know what your existing insurance policies will or will not cover.
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer Data Services
My Mess of a Geoplatform map of Oahu
CCH Department of Planning and Permitting GIS interface - the TMK maps for each property provide risk information

Identifying Risks

Hawaii Environmental Health Viewer includes water quality, permits, and pollution sources

City and County of Honolulu open data portal for GIS layers:

On Oahu, drinking water is provided and tested by the Board of Water Supply
hhttp://www.boardofwatersupply.com/customer-service/your-water-bill

USGS Stream Stats to model maximum flow and NLCD statistics

USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey to determine soil mobilization risks from saturation or seismic activity and suitability for various uses

Hawaii Water Resources Research Center, a University of Hawaii Manoa & USGS Joint Venture:
WRRC history: http://www.wrrc.hawaii.edu/WRRChistory.pdf
USGS Pacific Water Science Center

Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency

My water map: https://geoplatform.maps.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=664d1f2148d14ba0bbf357e6f7534e69

Oahu USTs

To find shelters near you anywhere in the United States, text "shelter" + your zipcode to 43362.
resilientoahu.org100resilientcities.org
nca2018.globalchange.gov
eastwestcenter.org, govt affiliated think tank

Hawaii chapter in national climate assessment, Volume II of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Chapter 27: Hawaii and US affiliated Pacific Islands

El Nino Southern Oscillation
2017 State of Hawaii Sea Level Rise Report, State Climate Change used in chapter 27, modeled statewide, in 2017 state of Hawaii adopted 3.2 feet by 2100, no teeth for legal management or policy at this point Hawaii Climate Adaptation Portal


coordinate w/ State Climate Commission, DLNR, Hawaii SLR Report findings
published a climate brief and 9 recommendations for CCH SLR mgt = July 2018 Mayoral Directive honolulu.gov/cm....


includes requirement of disclosure of 3.2 and 6 foot exposure on all planning documents and real estate information, how does this compare to the FEMA maps?

Honolulu Resiliency Strategy to be released soon
updating building codes, hurricane retrofit programs, design guidelines
update energy codes


shoreline mgt, stormwater mgt, reduction in flood risk

does Hawaii have silver jackets? how is this incorporated into the DPTs and the HHARP programs?

managing risk through catastrophe bonds, reinsurance policies, fees and taxes

tied with Texas for most out of date building codes in the United States, data sharing and integration across departments.  Updated in 2018.
Pacific RISA
Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment, PIRCA
NOAA SLR Viewer Hawaii
Hawaii Rainfall Atlas

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