Articles
Dina Dray,
Sandy Salmers, &
Kaleinani
Larsen
ASK-2000
Honolulu, HI
Describes the experiences of a fledgling statewide I&R agency in
dealing with a hurricane which wreaked devastation on some of the
most remote areas of Hawaii. Two authors offer different
perspectives on the storm-the view from the headquarters office
charged with maintaining service to the entire state and the view
from the hard-hit outlying island of Kauai.
A third author discusses issues involved in responding to
volcanic eruptions and the lava flows and earthquakes they can
trigger. The authors
discuss measures which civil authorities routinely take to deal with
such natural disasters, and they conclude with an examination of
fundamental questions which any 24-hour I&R agency must ask when
preparing to cope with a disaster.
Hurricane Iniki came to Kauai on September 1 1, 1992. / was worried.
When the wind started to blow, / yelled and screamed. It was going to
blow my house down.
Where was / going to live?
(Gelina Ruiz, age 9)
So
begins the first page of the Kaua'i Directory. a Directory of
Information and Referral Resources for Recovery, published in
June, 1993 by ASK-2000, in conjunction with several state and county
programs. Hurricane
lniki was ASK2000's first genuine "disaster". We learned a lot of lessons: about disasters, about
ourselves, about our business.
This
article will talk not only about hurricanes, but also the other
potential natural disaster unique to our island chain:
How
do I&R's operate in disasters?
In ASK-2000's experience with the hurricane, it started with
one very basic question: do we stay open?
When the Civil Defense alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. (and
believe me it was frightening), my phone rang almost immediately
with a very concerned phone specialist at the other end.
His shift was over at 7:00 a.m.; the hurricane predicted to
hit at 1:00 p.m. His immediate question: were we going to remain
open? I personally felt
ASK-2000 made a promise when we said that we'd be open for our
community, 24 hours a day, every day.
I called the management staff and let them know I was going
in; the decision to report to work, however, was theirs.
One chose to stay with her family and secure her house.
The other and several staff joined me at the office.
The
rest of the day was a blur. Faxes
from Civil Defense arrived hourly announcing shelter openings.
People were calling to ask how to tape windows, what is open
or closed, how near is the storm, etc.
It was a very different I&R scenario, even more stress
and anxiety than we were accustomed to.
And, there was the impending storm itself, and our
fascination, coupled with apprehension, watching over the city as
the winds increased.
Then
the eye of Iniki hit; not Oahu, where ASK-2000 administrative
offices are located, but Kauai, an island to our north.
The devastation was enormous and far-reaching.
Our
helpline call volume reached new levels following lniki.
One day, calls topped 900.
The resource staff was equally challenged.
New resources/funds/supply information cropped up daily. ASK-2000 became an information clearinghouse on disaster
relief; relief that had to be immediately generated instate and
transported initially by barge.
There were no highways to truck in supplies.
Kauai itself was inaccessible for almost a week, with even
the airport shut down.
ASK-2000
worked closely with the only information point the island residents
had: KONG radio. We
talked to the station daily, as Oahu had more information on what
was happening on Kauai, than the island itself.
KONG and ASK2000 formed a unique partnership in information
and referral:
Volume 15
Special Volume:
Alliance of Information and Referral SYstems
57 searching for news of relatives, relaying shelter information,
. d daily, sometimes hourly,
faxing
the station our revise
"disaster
relief guide".
ane touched
The
statistics were overwhelming. The
hurric
many
personally. Everyone
seemed to know someone affected.
At ASK-2000, we more than knew someone.
Our Kauai office manager, Kaleinani Larsen, miraculously
escaped injury, crouched with her husband in their bathroom shower
as her house blew away. Even more miraculously, she was lion the job" just days
later. Her story
follows:
The view from Kauai...
ASK-2000, Neighbor Island StYle
In
June of 1992, 1 attended my very first National Alliance tion and
Referral Systems conference. The
theme of lnforma
for
this annual event was entitled "California Dreaming,
Transforming Vision into Reality'.
Upon
my return to Kauai, "The Garden Island," I was eager and
excited to utilize the ideas, knowledge and shared experiences
gained from the conference guru's of I&R.
On September 11, 1992, (three months later), my reality WAS
transformed. Not
unfortunately by vision, but by a point 4 intensity (on a scale of
5) storm called Hurricane iniki.
lniki is Hawaiian for "piercing winds." Indeed, the winds
of destruction slammed into our island retreat ... and transformed
the island environment and lifestyles forever.
Before
iniki, Kauai was home to approximately 51,000 residents, about 4.6
percent of the population of the state.
Like the other islands in the Hawaiian chain, Kauai had a
relatively
self-contained economy.
Some
vital facts underscore the storm's devastation:
i. almost 9,000 families
were affected;
o. over 14,000 homes were destroyed or
damaged;
o. the Red Cross' lniki bill topped 13
million dollars;!
it
is estimated that 1.6 billion dollars in damages to private and
public property occurred;
b.
every one of Kauai Electric's over 24,000 customers was
affected by the hurricane, with over thirty five percent of all
lines blown down by the storm
I&R in Time of Disaster
1993
58
Information and
Referral, the Journal of the
With
this in mind, and with the awareness that in this September of 1993,
we are renewing the experience in celebration of a year of survival
for this community, I will attempt to share a few of my views and
experiences relating to disaster planning.
ASK-2000,
our statewide information and referral service,
was
then just two years old, and on Kauai, we had recently marked the
one-year anniversary of our office.
I am the only staff member located on the island of Kauai,
and my job is to search out and compile resources for the database,
educate the community about both the helpline and the database
operations, and act as a community liaison between the island of
Kauai and our Oahu headquarters.
Upon
waking Saturday morning (the day after), the devastation and
destruction were clearly unbelievable.
The island looked like a war zone, and people were stunned by
the drastic changes to their neighborhoods.
The critical concerns were surveying the immediate impact of
this storm and working with the relief forces, which were designated
to Civil Defense under the leadership of Mayor Joanne Yukimura.
There was no communication available on island.
This contributed to the inability to gain information or to
request assistance. This
was a @or disaster ... an entire island completely devastated and in
need of significant assistance and aid.
As
an information and referral program, how could we contribute to the
recovery effort?
By
Monday morning, generators were operating.
In due time, I was able to establish contact with the Mayor's
office (for daily public press releases), the Red Cross, VOAD
(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters) and the FEMA
representatives. I was
able to participate in daily task force meetings in which
information was shared and exchanged. it was a critical opportunity
for information about agencies, programs and services available to
be disseminated. Basic
I&R prevailed-who's available, where, when, and how.
Networking opportunities were created through VOAD, a
national organization of voluntary groups active in disasters.
In
specific terms, ASK-2000 provided disaster guidebooks of information
for the disaster application centers (FEMA) and for the Red Cross
outreach workers. Through
our helpline,
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59 we offered service to a variety of interests: voluntary needs,
location of relatives, donations needed, places to donate goods and
many other important links to resources.
As
part of the recovery process, the Red Cross brought in teams of
mental health professionals trained to assist with
"debriefing" sessions, which consisted of group meetings
where we could talk about what happened and share frustration,
concerns and hurricane related experiences.
One very important hand-out is worth sharing with anyone
planning for disasters. it is called Phases of )isaster.
This perspective is helpful and valuable. it communicates to
victims and helpers of a disaster what they should expect in terms
of the recovery process. We
have certainly experienced all phases ... and are now into the long
term stages of recovery. A common expression on the island is that "surviving the
day of lniki" was just the beginning;
recovery
has been a long journey.
The
difficulties we encountered were met with a true spirit of
collaborative effort. It
was a very busy, exhausting, hectic, scary, and intense time for
everyone involved with health and human services programs.
We were all victims as well as helpers ... it was definitely
a challenge.
Given
the experience, there is recognition of the role and significance of
a statewide information and referral service.
It
was evident that it was ntial to have current and organized
information provided in a disaster.
Information and
referral
is and will continue to be a vital and significant part
of
future planning for disasters in the islands.
But
what about situations other than hurricanes7 Sandy Saimers, our West
Hawaii manager, shares her perspective on another potential concern:
an active volcano (and peripheral earthquakes associated with
eruptions):
The View from the Island of Hawaii . . .
Home of the "Fire Godde.&-O.,
The
island of Hawaii is known as the home of Pele, the
goddess
of volcanoes. Though
not all residents are believers
in
the myth of Pele, everyone pays their respects, especially
I&R in Time of Disaster
1993
60
Information and
Referral, the Journal of the
during
times when the lava is threatening communities, as it did just a few
years ago. Hawaii is
also nicknamed the Big Island, because its 4,034 square miles total
more than all the other Hawaiian islands combined, and it still
continues to grow from frequent volcanic eruptions.
There are 120,000 people living on the island of Hawaii,
enjoying its tropical beauty, rural lifestyle ... and five
volcanoes! Two of them,
Kilauea and Mauna Loa, are among the most active in the
world.
Kilauea's
eruption on the east rift zone (highly fractured zones of weaknesses
within the volcano) has continued for over ten years now.
Volcanic eruptions can be hazardous as they produce lava
flows which may threaten property and homes built near the active
volcanoes. The flows
from Kilauea are generally slow moving and therefore rarely endanger
human lives. The U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory
monitors volcanic activity on the Big Island and works closely with
the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency to issue warnings to
residents and tourists on lava flow hazards.
If there is a volcanic hazard, residents are evacuuated from
the area and sections of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are
closed to visitors.
Other
volcanic hazards involve volcanic gases and airborne particles of
cinder, ash, and strands of volcanic glass called Pele's hair, which
are by-products of volcanic eruptions.
Earthquakes are considered an indirect hazard.
On the Island of Hawaii, earthquakes are generally related to
volcanic activity beneath Kilauea and Mauna Loa and may happen
before or during an eruption. However,
it is difficult for scientists to predict the occurrence and
magnitude of an earthquake.
The
Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency (HCDA) directs and coordinates
the countyls emergency preparedness and response program.
HCDA also maintains an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in
Hilo. If a volcanic
eruption presents a hazard, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the
Civil Defense Agency, the National Weather Service, police and fire
department, the American Red Cross, public works, and the military
converge at the EOC to get out warnings to residents and tourists
and to coordinate evacuation, securement, and post-disaster
operations.
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Special Volume:
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VOAD
(Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters) Committees are now
being established in Hilo and Kona.
VOAD will serve as a vital
link between Civil Defense, American Red Cross, FEMA, local service
providers, churches, the media, and non-profit organizations, like
ASK2000, in planning and coordinating disaster response efforts
specific to this potential threat. Though ASK-2000 has not yet experienced a volcanic disaster (the last flow which destroyed homes was prior
to our opening), we are busy networking with the agencies and
programs mentioned, so we can be prepared, if and when we're called.
The View of the Future . . .
ASK-2000 in the Year 2000
Disasters
seem to be increasing world-wide.
Whether it is, in fact, global warming, or just CNN
reporting, we are made more aware daily of our fragile existence.
Thus, our roles as information and referral programs continue
to expand. In times of
crisis particularly, we want to be there to help.
How can we do the job?
At
ASK-2000, in our third year of operations, we are looking toward the
future. Our first step is further analyzing our internal operations.
At what point in a storm, volcano, earthquake, do we
shut down? If we market
ourselves as the statewide access point for information, can
w . e shut down? That
analysis goes on as we speak, determining both
our
strengths and our weaknesses.
Second,
as information and referral programs, we have to both network and
market ourselves as willing and able to function as a clearinghouse
during disasters. What niche can we fill?
Does our sixteen-line phone system at ASK-2000 give us an
opportunity to screen calls or take the overload for agencies such
as FEMA, the Red Cross, Civil Defense?
Does our database of information, with over 3,500 agencies
and programs, provide quick geographic reference points for pockets
of agencies serving a vital need during a disaster7
Finally,
is our role really a liaison role in the future-do we, in fact, have
the capacity to "bring people and services together" to
better survive a disaster and to better
collaborate
during the recovery?
We
at ASK-2000 don't have all the answers.
But there has been a silver lining to that dark cloud of the
storm called Iniki. We
have witnessed the birth of a new collaborative spirit in the
islands. As Kaleinani,
on Kauai, relates: "there is a new strength of people whose
alliances and relationships are bonded together forever by the
energy and effort shared in surviving together."
