HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 1072.009 2014-2016 PIPSMTG
Murashige, Laura
From: Sara Steiner <pahoatoday@gmail.com> o"
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Tuesday, October 18, 2016 10:26 AM e:�; ::
Sent: Y
To: Council Testimony; news@civilbeat.com;Tiffany Edwards Hunt; letters@haysraiitrib
herald.com; letters@staradvertiser.com;wht@aloha.net; Mayor's Internet epapll -;
Subject: Testimony for Civil Defense Preparedness;Comm. 1072 for 10-19-2016 m c.)
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Dear Council, Others, , '""
Continuing on from my Comm. 1072 testimony two weeks ago,regarding the Unified 4 Puna request for
review of Civil Defense which Councilman Chung said he knew nothing about. I'd like to inform this entire
council that indeed they were all notified by email 4 times this year: Jan 11, Jan 23,Feb 26 and March 11, from
the PahoaToday@gmail.com account.
Personally I think I speak for most of lower Puna by asking about about Civil Defense and lava flow
preparedness protocol. In 2014 there was mass confusion as the lava approached Pahoa because there is no
secondary access road in or out of lower Puna. The entire premature evacuations and school relocations would
have been unnecessary if we would have our secondary access road.
Government has got to get a grip,because someone authorized forced relocation of Keonepoko and Pahoa
School students, spending like 12 million dollars,which included gutting out(then partially repairing) a set of
buildings over 3 miles away from the lava flow.
Meanwhile, less than a half-mile away from the advancing lava flow, about 600 students at a public charter
school, were left to fry to a crisp because they couldn't find a place to relocate anywhere in the Puna District and
Civil Defense did not even go to the school and try to assist them at all.
Those 600 students were also abandoned by the State of Hawaii Department of Education who somehow forgot
that the definition of a public charter school student is a public school student and therefore did nothing for the
public school students at HAAS even though state statutes provide the DOE is responsible in public emergency
situations.
Why could HAAS find no place to move their school, you ask? Because Civil Defense, in their haste to
relocate thousands of fleeing evacuees, had made appropriations for every square inch of parking lot from HPP
to Keaau, and no one had any room available for HAAS charter school to move their 600 students.
The people of Pahoa(and taxpayers of Hawaii) can not afford this panic and wasteful actions from government
decision-makers every time Pele is gonna show. We are a community and we do not liked being ripped apart
because of our government's lack of providing for essential safety. We need to know that Civil Defense has the
authority and is really in charge of emergency situations. Civil Defense should be mandating the creation of our
secondary access road now,before this happens again.
Civil Defense also should be mandating that Puna Geothermal Venture is source-monitored so we can find out
what they are poisoning us with instead of denying there is a problem and siding with the polluters. If Civil
Defense can not order compliance for the public's safety, we need to know who in government can.
Mahalo, 9 t g ---
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Comm. N
D I �
Ref. To: 1 L
1 Ref. Date f OT
Sara Steiner
P.O. Box 2011
Pahoa, Hawaii 96778
PahoaToday@gmail.com
808-936-9546
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