HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-28 Emergency Proclamation Relating to the May 22, 2026, Kona EarthquakeC. Kimo Alameda, Ph. D
Mayor
Renee N.C. Schoen
Corporation Counsel
J S. Yoshimoto
Assistant Corporation
Counsel
COUNTY OF HAWAII
OFFICE OF THE CORPORATION COUNSEL
101 Aupuni Street, Suite 325 • Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 • (808) 961-8251 • Fax (808) 961-8622
TRANSMITTAL LETTER
DATE: May 28, 2026
TO: County Clerks
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
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FROM: ')Tracey Kameda, Legal Clerk III to '
Cameron Takamura, Deputy Corporation Counsel
RE: Emergency Proclamation Relating to the May 22, 2026, Kona Earthquake
COPIES/ITEMS DATE DESCRIPTION
1 - original 05-27-2026 Emergency Proclamation Relating to the
May 22, 2026, Kona Earthquake
TRANSMITTED FOR:
® Information and Files ❑ Approval
❑ Signature ❑ Review and Comments
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Enclosures
Received by: AA �
Print Name: A.,
Date: 51zt(X-C�
Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider
C. Kimo Alameda, Ph.D.
Mayor
William V. Brilhante, Jr.
Managing Director
Merrick Nishimoto
Deputy Managing Director
County of Hawaii - Office of the �VLayor
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 • Hilo, Hawai'i 96720 • Phone (808) 961-8211 • Fax (808) 961-6553
KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy., Bldg C • Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i 96740
Phone (808) 323-4444 • Fax (808) 323-4440
EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION RELATING TO THE MAY 22, 2026, KONA
EARTHQUAKE
By the authority vested in me as the Mayor of the County of Hawaii by the Constitution
and laws of the State of Hawaii, and by the Charter and ordinances of the County of Hawaii, to
prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters, I, C. KIMO ALAMEDA, Mayor of the
County of Hawaii, hereby proclaim as follows:
WHEREAS, Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 127A, provides for the
establishment of County of Hawaii (County) organizations for emergency management with the
Mayor having direct responsibility and authority over emergency management within the
County; and
WHEREAS, HRS Chapter 127A, and Hawaii County Code (HCC) Chapter 7, establish
a Civil Defense Agency within the County and prescribe its powers, duties, and responsibilities;
and
WHEREAS, HRS § 127A-14(b) empowers the Mayor to declare the existence of a local
state of emergency in the County by proclamation if the Mayor finds that an emergency or a
disaster has occurred or that there is imminent danger or threat of an emergency or a disaster in
any portion of the County, as those terms are defined in HRS § 127A-2; and
WHEREAS, the Charter of the County of Hawaii (CCH) § 13-23 and HCC § 7-1-7(a)
also empower the Mayor to declare a state of disaster or emergency by proclamation; and
WHEREAS, on Friday, May 22, 2026, at 10:42 PM Hawaii Standard Time (HST), the
United States Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS HVO) issued an
Earthquake Information Statement reporting that on Friday, May 22, 2026, at approximately 9:46
PM HST, a magnitude-6.0 earthquake occurred approximately seven (7) miles south of
H6naunau-Nap6`opo`o on the Island of Hawaii at a depth of approximately fourteen (14) miles
below sea level; and
WHEREAS, the USGS HVO reported that the earthquake registered a maximum
Modified Mercalli Intensity of VII (very strong shaking) both as community -reported and as
instrument -derived, with strong to very strong shaking experienced on the west side of the Island
of Hawaii, and that more than 2,662 felt reports were submitted to the USGS HVO within the
first hour of the event; and
County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
WHEREAS, the USGS HVO further reported that several aftershocks have already
occurred and that aftershocks may continue in the coming days and weeks; and
WHEREAS, as of the date of this emergency proclamation, the County's Civil Defense
Agency has received approximately two hundred seven (207) damage reports concentrated in the
Districts of Ka`u, North Kona, and South Kona, including substantial damage to residential
structures and to residential, commercial, and agricultural water catchment systems upon which
residents and businesses in these districts rely for potable and non -potable water; and
WHEREAS, certain residential structures within the affected areas are currently or
potentially unsafe, uninhabitable, or inaccessible as a result of the earthquake, posing a
continuing risk of injury or loss of life to occupants and to persons in the surrounding area, and
may require the displacement of residents and the provision of emergency sheltering by the
County; and
WHEREAS, the County's Department of Public Works has activated structural engineers
and is deploying inspectors to conduct, with owner consent, habitability evaluations of
earthquake -damaged structures, and the Civil Defense Agency, the County's Department of
Water Supply, and non -governmental partners, are providing or coordinating disaster -response
services to affected persons; and
WHEREAS, the loss of water catchment capacity may create an immediate need to
obtain, transport, and stage temporary water distribution for residents and businesses whose
private water systems were damaged by the earthquake, and existing County resources and
normal government processes may not sufficiently address this need in the time required to
protect public health, safety, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the County has also sustained earthquake damage to its facilities, including
the Kealakehe Police Station in North Kona, the Waiea Transfer Station in South Kona, and
Kona Scenic Park and Clarence Lum Won Park in North Kona, each of which requires
engineering assessment, repair, or continued public -safety measures; and
WHEREAS, the scope and severity of damage to private residential structures, County
facilities, and water systems across the Districts of Ka`u, North Kona, and South Kona is such
that recovery is likely to exceed the capabilities of the County acting alone, and may require
assistance from other counties, the State, the federal government, or private entities to aid the
County and its affected residents and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the invocation and exercise of emergency powers as stated herein are
reasonably necessary for the County to expeditiously and effectively prepare for, respond to,
mitigate, and recover from the earthquake's impacts, the continuing risk of aftershocks, the
presence of structurally compromised dwellings, and the disruption of water systems serving the
affected population, and to otherwise protect the lives, property, environment, public health,
welfare, and safety of the County, its residents, and visitors;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, C. KIMO ALAMEDA, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, hereby
declare, effective May 27, 2026, that a local state of emergency exists under HRS § 127A-14(b),
CCH § 13-23, and HCC § 7-1-7(a), because the May 22, 2026, Kona earthquake has caused an
emergency or disaster, and the potential aftershocks and resulting damage continue to pose an
imminent danger or threat of an emergency or disaster, to the Districts of Ka`u, North Kona, and
South Kona, within the County of Hawaii; and
I FURTHER DECLARE that based on the conditions described above, the following
measures are reasonably necessary to address the emergency or disaster:
I. Invocation of Laws. Pursuant to HRS § 127A-12(c)(17), the Mayor may take any
and all steps necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of HRS Chapter
127A, including the additional powers in HRS § 127A-13(b) which may only be
exercised during an emergency period. I hereby authorize and invoke the following
powers related to emergency management, if not already in effect:
A. HRS §§ 127A-12(a)(5), 127A-13(b)(3), 127A-13(b)(4), and HCC §§ 7-1-
7(d)(2) and 7-1-7(d)(4). I authorize and direct the Administrator of the
County's Civil Defense Agency, or his designee, to take appropriate actions to
direct or control the following, as may be necessary for emergency
management:
1. Alerts, warnings, notifications, activations;
2. Warnings and signals for alerts, and any type of warning device,
system, or method to be used in connection therewith;
3. Partial or full mobilization of personnel, in advance of, or in response
to, an actual emergency or disaster;
4. The conduct of civilians and the movement and cessation of movement
of pedestrians and vehicular traffic during, before, and after alerts,
emergencies, or disasters;
5. Shut off water mains, gas mains, or electric power connections, or
suspend other services; and
6. The mandatory evacuation of the civilian population.
B. HRS § 127A-12(c)(3). I authorize the Administrator of the County's Civil
Defense Agency to take possession of, use, manage, control, and reallocate
any public property of the County, real or personal, including parks,
playgrounds, and other public buildings, as required for the purposes of HRS
Chapter 127A, including for the temporary sheltering of residents displaced
by the earthquake and staging sites for water distribution.
C. HRS § 127A-12(c)(4). I authorize the utilization of the services, materials,
and facilities of nongovernmental agencies, relief organizations, community
associations, and other private -sector and nonprofit organizations that may be
made available to assist in emergency response and recovery. However,
nothing in this invocation of HRS § 127A-12(c)(4) shall be construed as
acceptance, by the Mayor or any other authorized County personnel, of the
services of any individual person as a volunteer for the County under HRS §
127A-8.
D. HRS § 127A-12(c)(5). I authorize the receipt, expenditure, and use of
contributions or grants, in money, property, or services, or loans of property,
and the procurement of federal aid as may be available for the purposes of
HRS Chapter 127A, including assistance available through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
E. HRS § 127A- 12(c)(1 1). Each public utility, or any person owning,
controlling, or operating a critical infrastructure facility, is hereby required to
protect and safeguard the public utility's or the person's property, or to
provide for such protection and safeguarding; and provide for the protection
and safeguarding of all critical infrastructure and key resources; provided that
the protection and safeguarding may include the regulation or prohibition of
public entry thereon, or the permission of the entry upon terms and conditions
as I may prescribe.
F. HRS § 127A-12(c)(12). I authorize the Administrator of the County's Civil
Defense Agency, or his designee, to restrict the congregation of the public in
stricken or dangerous areas or under dangerous conditions, including areas in
or surrounding earthquake -damaged structures determined to pose a risk of
injury or loss of life to occupants or to persons in the surrounding area.
G. HRS § 127A-12(c)(13). I authorize the Administrator of the County's Civil
Defense Agency to direct and control the non -compulsory evacuation of the
civilian population from earthquake -damaged structures or areas, which may
precede any mandatory evacuation issued under HRS § 127A-13(b)(4).
H. HRS § 127A-12(c)(14), CCH § 13-21, and HCC § 7-1-6(a). I direct all
County agencies and officers to cooperate with and extend their services,
materials, and facilities as may be necessary to address the emergency or
disaster.
I. HRS § 127A-12(c)(15). I authorize the County to provide for the repair and
maintenance of public property whenever adequate provision therefor is not
otherwise made and to make temporary restoration of public utilities and other
critical infrastructure facilities affected by the earthquake, including the
Kealakehe Police Station, the Waiea Transfer Station, Kona Scenic Park,
Clarence Lum Won Park, and any other County -owned facility subsequently
determined to require emergency repair as a result of the earthquake.
I direct the Director of Finance to administer the disaster and emergency fund
in accordance with CCH § 10-17, and to establish fund accounts in the County
treasury as necessary for the deposit and expenditure of monetary
contributions received pursuant to HRS § 127A-12(c)(5). Such contributions
or grants are deemed to be appropriated for the purposes of HRS Chapter
127A, or for the special purposes contemplated therein.
I FURTHER DECLARE that this Emergency Proclamation Relating to the May 22,
!2026, Kona Earthquake shall terminate automatically sixty (60) days after its issuance, unless
extended or terminated by a separate or supplementary proclamation, in accordance with HRS §§
127A-14(c) and (d).
Done at the County of Hawaii,
thi427hda f May 2026
C. Kimo WamedaPh.D.
Mayor
County of Hawaii
APPROVED AS TO FORM
AND L GALITY:
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Renee N.C. Schoen
Corporation Counsel
County of Hawaii