Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan: 01. Introduction

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Chapter 1:Introduction Event Date Areas Affected Disaster Declaration January 30,1981 Hamakua,S.Kohala Mayor January 5,1981 Waiakea Uka,Puna Governor Wildfire July 1, 1987 S.Kohala Mayor Bold—Presidential Declaration Hawaii Island is uniquely at risk to several natural hazards. Compared to the other counties in this State, the relative risks are as follows: • High Wind Storms. Comparable risk to the other counties; wind speed-up patterns occur due to five dominant mountains; • Hurricanes. Higher risk relative to the other counties due to the easternmost location, but fortuitously low historic events; • Landslides and Rock Falls. Higher relative risk to other counties, due to higher level of seismic activity; • Earthquakes. Higher risk relative to the other counties; • Lava and VOG. Unique risk relative to other counties, as the only county with active volcanoes; • Tsunamis. Comparable risk to the other counties,but higher historic events; • Floods. Comparable risk of flash flooding to other counties due to small drainage basins with steep-walled amphitheater-shaped valleys; higher sheetflow flooding risk due to rela- tively youthful geological development of defined drainage ways, especially in the leeward areas; • Dam failures.Fewer dams than other islands however potential for failure maybe greater due to greater seismic activity; • High Surf. Lesser risk to other counties on Northwest facing shorelines due to shadowing effects of other islands, comparable risk on all other shorelines; • Coastal Erosion. Of lesser concern is sandy beach erosion due to the geologically youthful age of this island. Instead, sea cliff erosion is of greater concern to control building too closely to the cliff edge. • Droughts and Wildfires. Higher risk to droughts and wildfires relative to other counties due to more extensive rural settlements that rely on water catchments, a dominant agricultural industry that relies on rainfall, expansive open land area, and strong winds that make wildfires difficult to fight. • HAZMAT. The potential technological hazards of stored hazardous chemical materials are under the planning of the Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC) per Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 128D Environmental Response Law, and Chapter 128E Hawaii Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. In each chapter focusing on the above hazards will be profiled in terms of: • Description of the hazard; 1-4 Hawaii County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan