HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0456.005 2022-2024CRCOG
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From: Diane Marshall w CD- c-,
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Sent: Monday, October 02, 2023 11:27 AM M�
To: Council Testimony —'"
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Subject: Testimony Comm. 456 NJ
Aloha Office of Hawaii County Clerk,
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Please find and forward my testimony to the Communications, Reports and Council Oversight
Committee for their October 3 hearing on Agenda Item 456, per
instructions: htti)s://www.hawaiicountv.aov/our-countv/legislative/countv-council/attend-meetinas-
submit-testimon
Communications, Reports and Council Oversight Committee
Agenda Item Comm. 456
October 3, 2023 meeting
Aloha,
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding Hawaii County Communications, in
particular Emergency Communications.
Point 1: Website navigation
Point 2: Search Engine
Point 3: Signing up for emergency alerts
Point 4: Teaching Emergency Preparation
Point 1: Website navigation
Is there an easier way to find Emergency information? Rather than having to search through
various pull-down menus—Services, Our County, Departments, Our County, and I Want To...
consider an icon on the top banner of the HawaiiCounty.gov Home Page that reads Emergency
Management, Alerts, or Emergency Notifications or something.
There are Civil Defense links under several of the above menu headings. Is it clear to the public
that Civil Defense is where they might find emergency information? Had I not been a CERT
member, I would not have known. Perhaps the word Emergency Management or similar words
after Civil Defense would be more indicative of where to find Emergency information.
Once on those pages, it is difficult to navigate to information about what to do before, during, and
after an emergency. Civil Defense links under three different pull-down menus lead to different
information. The CD link under Services only leads to the Hazards map. The CD link under
Departments leads to a CD site, but the information for Upcoming Events near the top of the page
lists the October 4, 2023, Federal alert, but not the October 2, 2023, Hawaii siren alert. Below that
are links, many of which provide useful information, but some of which lead to outdated
information, such as this link, which provides NOAA tropical cyclone information and news
Comm. N • �1
R*f. To:
Ref, baro OCT - 3 2043
releases for 2022, but none for 2023. littps://hawaii-county-hurricane-resource-site-
hawaiicountygis.hub.arc isg com/
The Home Page Hazard Impact Map links on the front page and under the Civil Defense links
under Services and Departments menus do not provide adequate information or links to what to do
in an emergency. Instead, it gives Weather, Buoys, Road Closures, Active Hazards, and Public
Facility Closures.
Here's an example of navigation difficulty.
—Under Departments, go to the Civil Defense link (assuming one knows that Civil Defense is
where to look for Emergency Information)
Under Civil Defense, go to Emergency Preparedness
—Under Emergency Preparedness, go to Wildfire
—Under Wildfire, there are two possible links. The first is a General Information link—which
leads off the Hawaii County website with a warning that Hawaii County is not responsible for the
information one is about to be led to. It lands on the state's Emergency Management page.
—That page leads to a list of types of emergencies, under which is a heading for Wildfire.
It took 5 steps to get to the information below, which is not helpful to consumers seeking wildfire
preparation information.
"WILDFIRE
In Hawaii, wildfires occur on all .six major islands: Kaua `i, Oahu, Moloka `i, Ldna `i, Maui, and
Hawai `i Island. From 2000-2008 there were approximately 1107 wildfires in Hawai `i, consuming
over 98, 000 acres of land, impacting life, industry, property, and natural resources.
Unlike the continental United States, Hawai `i ;s ecosystem—like that of other Pacific islands—does
not adapt well to wildfire. According to local biologists, many other native plants are only a
wildfire away from extinction. "
—If one clicks instead on the other link, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, the site
provides more information about the HWMO than about useful resources, unless one goes to a
heading and keeps looking, where, eventually, one reaches some very useful Fire Wise Guides.
Navigating to Big Island traffic information is just as cumbersome. I consider traffic information
important. Under the Services menu, there is a link to Traffic & Roadwork, which leads to a page
called What's Happening at DPW. That page contains no information about roadwork or stoppages.
This information could affect someone driving to a hospital, airport, or away from an area in an
emergency.
It takes too many steps to find emergency/essential information on the HawaiiCounty_gov website.
Point 2: Search Engine
Anyone should be able to type in a phrase such as "Hurricane Preparation" and easily find
information. Instead, the Search Engine results are irrelevant, too broad and/or out-of-date.
Example: Searched term "Hurricane Preparation" and the first 6 items were referred to notices
2
dated 2018 and one dated 2022 regarding Hurricane Lane Damage Repairs. The 7th item
was: Emergency Preparedness htips://www.hawailcogn.ty.gov ?navid=248
Point 3: Signing up for emergency alerts
Links to sign up for Civil Defense and Nixle alerts are not on the Civil Defense page. However,
they can be found on the CERT page and under the I Want To... menu. It should be easier for
people to find a page to sign up for alerts.
Point 4: Teaching emergency preparedness
In CERT training, we learned that Hawaii County has more hazards than any other county in the
United States. How are you preparing residents?
Consider adding Emergency Preparation and First Aid to the school curriculum the way the federal
government taught fire prevention with Smokey the Bear and nuclear sheltering decades ago
(granted hiding under your desk didn't help anyone).
Parents on Big Island often work multiple jobs to be able to afford to live here. That's makes them
too busy to learn emergency information. What if you taught the children and they brought home
materials to teach their parents?
How is Civil Defense reaching residents without Internet access or TV? It's easier to find real
estate brochures at kiosks in public places than to find emergency preparation information.
Thank you for the work you do to make Hawaii County a great place to live.
Diane Marshall
Laupahoehoe, Hawaii resident