HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0456.003 2022-2024P/GRooc,
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From: Rosemary Alles
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2023 10:17 AM
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Yates-Tese, Beverly; info@grassrootinstitute.org
Subject: Written Testimony I Hearing with Hawai'i County Fire Department and Civ+ DefeOse,
on Wildfire Preparedness and Emergency Communications ray-°
To whom it may concern,
Aloha nui. I hope this email finds you well.
-r=
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Herewith I submit written testimony for the Hearing with Hawaii County Fire Department and Civil Defense on
Wildfire Preparedness and Emergency Communications. (October 3rd)
My home is located at 44-315 Kahawai Rd., Honokaa HI 96747. It's a rural area surrounded by guinea grass/cane grass.
There are several homes in the vicinity, all surrounded by cane grass. Most of the homes (most likely all of them)
including mine have catchment fed water systems.
I also have a water meter with the Department of Water Supply (DWS). The meter is located almost 1 mile (maybe
more) away from the house, repeated attempts to install and maintain a water -pipe from the meter to the house have
failed; for obvious reasons; the distance from the meter to the house (across a gulch!) renders the exercise futile. Micro
earthquakes, pipes buried under other homeowners' driveways (despite having a legal easement) contribute and will
continue to contribute to the infeasibility of the endeavor. The problem is chronic.
The "subdivision" that begins at the top of Kahawai Rd., has no dedicated fire hydrant, no access to a ready flow of
water, no access to county water, this despite many residents paying for and maintaining water meters. Some residents
have installed overground pipes from the meters to their homes, this, to supplement catchment supply. Unfortunately,
after spending in excess of 15000.00 $ on various fixes, I cannot afford to "throw" more money at the problem, neither
can any of us afford to have our houses burned down in case of a severe fire fueled by the surrounding cain grass in the
event of ongoing droughts; and yes, droughts will persist as climate change bears down upon us all.
Our property taxes should give us more than "nice" roads. It boggles the mind that the DWS get paid every month to
maintain water meter(s) that are never used - cannot be used. How does the County propose to address the problem of
a fire hazard? And to this the number of subdivisions (all over the island) that are in a similar category. The number is
likely in the 10s or worse, in the 100s.
Thank you for your time. Mahalo nui.
Warmly,
rosemary
Software Engineer & GIS Specialist
Hawaii, California & South Africa
Core strategist & Co-founder
The Global March for Elephants and Rhinos
Comm. No 4SV.3
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