Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan: 17. Shelters

Home

Chapter 17:Shelters CHAPTER 17 - SHELTERS 17.1 Public Emergency Shelters Hawaii is vulnerable to a wide-range of emergencies and disasters ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes, rockfalls, tsunamis, and floods. Hurricanes, above all others, are clearly the most dangerous and capable of inflicting enormous damage and loss of life. Hurricanes provide the greatest challenge to Civil Defense and emergency management agencies at all levels of government. In Hawaii, residents and visitors cannot move away from a storm, as they do on the U.S. mainland,to reduce the life-threatening effects of a hurricane. They must remain in-place and have immediately available hurricane resistant homes, businesses, hotels, public shelters, etc., in which to seek refuge. In that regard, government in Hawaii has a more difficult responsibility to provide for the health, safety and welfare of its citizens. Two important aspects of this responsibility as it pertains to the hurricane hazard is the adoption of building codes that afford hurricane protection to both public and private sector property, and the provision of sufficient, reasonably provisioned hurricane resistant public shelters and identification of reasonably hurricane-resistant buildings that can function as refuges during the storm. A list of all facilities currently used as emergency shelters in Hawaii County is given below. North Kohala District Kohala High and Elementary [S] • Building X Kohala Intermediate [S] South Kohala District Waikoloa Elementary [S] Waimea Elementary [S] • Building J • Building B • Building C • Building E • Building F • Building G • Building L Waimea Intermediate Waimea State Office Building North Kona District Holualoa Elementary Kahakai Elementary [S] • Cafeteria • Building A • Building B • Building D • Building F 17-1 Hawaii County Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan