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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;
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