Emergency Response Planning Committee

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board created the Emergency Response Planning Committee for Kaneohe assigning Bill Sager as Chair and Felipe San Nicolas as Vice Chair.  There is a lot to do to create an effective plan and we must depend on community volunteers to create an effective response plan.  

We know that when a major hurricane hits Oahu 80% of our homes will be destroyed. The Department of Emergency Management has identified Shelters for 30% of our population, but most of those shelters will loose their roofs in a Category 3 hurricane.  

Bottom line is we have to be prepared to take care of ourselves and our neighbors for at least a week.  CERT training is the first step in our preparedness.  We need to establish CERT response teams in each of our neighborhoods.  Everyone is encourage to become CERT certified.


CERT training is free and consists of a total of 16 hours of classroom
time and 4 hours of practicum.  One needs to attend all sessions in
order to "graduate" from the program.  Each class consists of three (3)
days of training.  You need to attend all three days in order to
graduate and become CERT certified.  If you can't be present at all
three consecutive classes, you may make up the first two classes.  The
third class can't be attended unless you have finished the first two.
These classes are usually held on weekends (Sat or Sun) from 8am to
between 1pm and 4pm. 

Here are the dates of training for 2011: 

August 13, 20, and 27 (Saturdays)

October 15, 22, and 29 (Saturdays)

Please RSVP to me at the below number at least a week in advance, so I
can arrange to have enough equipment and supplies available.  All of the
training sessions will be held at Department of Emergency Management's
Emergency Operating Center , 650 South King Street ( Fasi Municipal
Building ).  Parking is on the S. Beretania Street side. You need not
pay 

Be aware that there are designated shelters for about 30% of our population and none of them would keep their roofs during a class III hurricane. Shelters have no supplies, so you're going to have to bring everything you're going to need with you.

If you work in a secure building, such as a hotel, make sure management has a response plan and encouraged them to include in your families in their plans to shelter their people. If your family is in a secure shelter, managent will know their employees are on property and ready to help. 

Now that we've prepared for our families, let's think about our neighborhood.



Neighborhood Response

Civil Defense provides Citizen Emergency Response Team training. It is combination of emergency first aid training and organizing a neighborhood to effectively help their neighbors. For instance, the emergency response team should know who in their neighborhood needs special medical attention. Who is on oxygen. Who requires kidney dialysis. The team needs to know their neighbors.

Beyond the neighborhood, the community needs to inventory its resources. Know where you have secure buildings strong enough to provide safe shelter during a storm and to whom will the shelter be available. What heavy equipment is available to the community, how will it be activated and who will operate it.

How will the community communicate their needs to authorities and how can medical resources in our communities best be utilized.

Actions Needed - Looking for volunteers

Organize Neighborhoods into CERT Teams and integrate emergency preparedness into the Neighborhood Watch System
Contact Faith Groups, Business Groups and Service Groups to encourage them to participate in Emergency Response Planning.
Inventory available heavy equipment, who will operate it and how it can be activated.
Integrate Emergency planning with Police and Fire.
Set up HAM radio communications within Neighborhoods and to the ICS.
What help can we get from the military?
Inventory Shelters 
Identify evacuation routes.

contact Bill Sager at bsager42@gmail.com or leave a comment here