|
WHEREAS, the USGS HVO further reported that several aftershocks have already
<br /> occurred and that aftershocks may continue in the coming days and weeks; and
<br /> WHEREAS, as of the date of this emergency proclamation, the County's Civil Defense
<br /> Agency has received approximately two hundred seven (207) damage reports concentrated in the
<br /> Districts of Ka`u, North Kona, and South Kona, including substantial damage to residential
<br /> structures and to residential, commercial, and agricultural water catchment systems upon which
<br /> residents and businesses in these districts rely for potable and non-potable water; and
<br /> WHEREAS,certain residential structures within the affected areas are currently or
<br /> potentially unsafe, uninhabitable, or inaccessible as a result of the earthquake, posing a
<br /> continuing risk of injury or loss of life to occupants and to persons in the surrounding area, and
<br /> may require the displacement of residents and the provision of emergency sheltering by the
<br /> County; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the County's Department of Public Works has activated structural engineers
<br /> and is deploying inspectors to conduct, with owner consent, habitability evaluations of
<br /> earthquake-damaged structures, and the Civil Defense Agency, the County's Department of
<br /> Water Supply, and non-governmental partners, are providing or coordinating disaster-response
<br /> services to affected persons; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the loss of water catchment capacity may create an immediate need to
<br /> obtain, transport, and stage temporary water distribution for residents and businesses whose
<br /> private water systems were damaged by the earthquake, and existing County resources and
<br /> normal government processes may not sufficiently address this need in the time required to
<br /> protect public health, safety, and welfare; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the County has also sustained earthquake damage to its facilities, including
<br /> the Kealakehe Police Station in North Kona, the Waiea Transfer Station in South Kona, and
<br /> Kona Scenic Park and Clarence Lum Won Park in North Kona, each of which requires
<br /> engineering assessment, repair, or continued public-safety measures; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the scope and severity of damage to private residential structures, County
<br /> facilities, and water systems across the Districts of Ka`u, North Kona, and South Kona is such
<br /> that recovery is likely to exceed the capabilities of the County acting alone, and may require
<br /> assistance from other counties, the State, the federal government, or private entities to aid the
<br /> County and its affected residents and businesses; and
<br /> WHEREAS, the invocation and exercise of emergency powers as stated herein are
<br /> reasonably necessary for the County to expeditiously and effectively prepare for, respond to,
<br /> mitigate, and recover from the earthquake's impacts, the continuing risk of aftershocks, the
<br /> presence of structurally compromised dwellings, and the disruption of water systems serving the
<br /> affected population, and to otherwise protect the lives, property, environment, public health,
<br /> welfare, and safety of the County, its residents, and visitors;
<br /> 2
<br />
|