HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-10-13 SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION RELATING TO TROPICAL STORM LALA C. Kimo Alameda, Ph.D. William V. I�rilhante,�Tr.
Mcxvor �� Managing Director
µ Merrick Nishimoto
„ r � Deputy Managing Director
County of Hawaii - Office of the Wayor
25 Aupruil Street, Suite 2603 * Hilo.llawai`i 96720 * Phone(808)961-8211 * fax(808)961-6553
KONA: 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy- Bldg C * Kailua-Kona. I lawai'i 96740
Phone(808)323-4444 * Fax(808)323-4440
SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL EMERGENCY PROCLAMATION RELATING TO
TROPICAL STORM LALA
By the authority vested in me as the Mayor of the County of Llawai`i by the Constitution
and laws of the State of Hawai`i, and by the Charter and ordinances of the County of Hawaii, to
prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters, I, C. KIMO AL.,AMEDA,
Mayor of the County of Ilawai`i, hereby proclaim as follows:
WHEREAS, I-Iawai`i. Revised. Statutes (HRS) Chapter 127A, provides for the
establishment of County of Hawai`i (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, IfRS § 127A-I4(b) empowers the Mayor to declare the existence of 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 IIRS § 1.27A-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, Tropical. Storm L,ala (Lala), which prompted a National Weather Service
Hurricane Warning for the County, strengthened into a hurricane on August 15, 2026, and
impacted the County from.approximately August 14 through August 16, 2026,producing fifteen
(1.5) to thirty (30) inches of rain across Hamdkua, Hilo, Puna, and Ka`a and more than three (3)
feet in portions of southeastern Ka`u and the Laupahoehoe area, and causing flash flooding and.
landslides, particularly in and around Pdhala and Nd*dleliu; and
WHEREAS, L,ala caused loss of life; destroyed or caused major damage to eighty-seven
(87) homes and destroyed fifteen(15) businesses; severely damaged schools and the Na`alehu
Cemetery; destroyed or damaged roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure along and near
Highway 11, cutting off communities from road access; and disrupted power and water service
in many areas of the County; and
COUntV oft-lawai`i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and f;rnhloyer..
WHEREAS, on August 13, 2026, the Governor of the State of Hawaii issued the
Proclamation Relating to Tropical Storm Lala declaring a state of emergency for the entire State
under HRS § 127A-14(a); on August 20, 2026, the Governor issued the Second Proclamation
Relating to Tropical Storm Lala, which superseded the August 13, 2026, proclamation and
continued the State's disaster emergency relief period through October 19, 2026; and
WHEREAS, on August 25, 2026, due to Lala, the President of the United States issued a
Presidential Emergency Declaration(EM-3652-HI) and, on October 7, 2026, issued a Major
Disaster Declaration (DR-4951-HI), designating the County for Federal Emergency Management
Agency Public Assistance program funding and direct federal assistance; and
WHEREAS, on August 14, 2026, 1 issued the Emergency Proclamation Relating to
Tropical Storm Lala (Original EP) and the First Supplemental Emergency Proclamation
Relating to Tropical Storm Lala(First Supplemental EP), which superseded the Original EP,
and would otherwise terminate automatically on October 13, 2026,pursuant to HRS § 127A-
14(d); and
WHEREAS, the scope and severity of Lala's impact is such that recovery continues to
exceed the capabilities of the County acting alone, and requires assistance from other counties,
the State, the federal government, or private entities; and
WHEREAS, the continued invocation and exercise of emergency powers as stated herein
are reasonably necessary for the County to expeditiously and effectively respond to and recover
from Lala's impacts, and to otherwise protect the lives, property, environment, public health,
welfare, and safety of the County, its residents, visitors, and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the emergency or disaster caused by Lala continues to exist in the County,
in that residents continue to recover and repair their homes and businesses; the County continues
to repair its facilities and infrastructure, including its waterlines and roads, and to recover and
reinter remains disturbed at the Na`alehu Cemetery; restrictions on access to stricken areas
remain in effect; and parts of the County remain susceptible to heightened impacts from further
inclement weather;
NOW, THEREFORE, 1, C. KIMO ALAMEDA, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, hereby
declare that a local state of emergency continues to exist under HRS § 127A-14(b), CCH § 13-
23, and HCC § 7-1-7(a), because Lala has caused an emergency or disaster, and Lala's impacts
continue to pose an imminent danger or threat of an emergency or disaster to 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-I2(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
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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 use as emergency shelters for persons evacuated
or displaced by Lala and as staging sites for emergency response and recovery
personnel, equipment, and supplies.
C. HRS § 127A-I 2(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. For purposes of HRS § 127A-8(c), the services of an individual
person may be accepted as a volunteer for the County only by the Mayor or
the Administrator of the County's Civil Defense Agency, or his designee, and
only upon express approval given in advance, on a case-by-case basis, and
documented in writing.
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
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HRS Chapter 127A, including assistance available through the State and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
E. HRS § 127A-12(c)(6). I authorize the purchase, rental, lease,transport,
storage, installation, maintenance, repair, and distribution of materials and
facilities for emergency management, and the procurement of federal aid
therefor whenever feasible. I further find that, to the extent that emergency
procurement under HRS § 103D-307 or another available procurement
method is not feasible in the time and under the conditions presented by Lala,
HRS Chapter 103D and HRS §§ 103-50, 103-53, 103-55, 105-1 to 105-10,
and 464-4 impede or tend to impede the expeditious discharge of the County's
emergency management functions, and that compliance therewith is
impracticable due to existing conditions; and those provisions shall
accordingly not apply to those emergency management functions to that
extent. This paragraph does not relieve the County of any procurement
standard applicable to work for which the County may seek federal financial
assistance, including the federal procurement standards in 2 C.F.R. §§
200.318 to 200.327.
F. HRS § 127A-I2(c)(11). Each public utility, or any person owning,
controlling, or operating a critical infrastructure facility, as I may identify, 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.
G. 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 beaches,
shorelines, coastal areas, streams and drainageways, low-lying and flood-
prone areas, and areas in or surrounding storm-damaged structures, that are
determined to pose a risk of injury or loss of life due to Lala.
H. 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 coastal, low-lying, flood-prone, or other areas
threatened by conditions caused by Lala, which may precede any mandatory
evacuation issued under HRS § 127A-13(b)(4).
I. HRS § 127A-12(c)(14), CCH §§ 13-21 and 13-22, 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.
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J. HRS § 127A-I2(c)(I5). 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 Lala, including the emergency
clearance of debris from public roads and other public property and the
emergency repair of any County facility determined to require repair as a
result of Lala.
K. 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-I2(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.
I1. Authority to Suspend County Laws.
A. HRS § 127A-13(b)(1). I hereby suspend County laws, in whole or in part, in
order to relieve hardship and inequities upon County taxpayers, to the extent
they establish or impose deadlines for the payment of real property tax bills;
and deadlines for the filing of applications, claims, or other submissions
relating to real property tax programs.
B. HRS § 127A-13(b)(2) and HCC § 7-1-7(d)(1). I hereby invoke and retain the
authority to suspend any County law that impedes or tends to impede or is
detrimental to the expeditious and efficient execution of, or conflicts with,
emergency functions, including laws that by HRS chapter 127A specifically
are made applicable to emergency personnel.
I FURTHER DECLARE that this Second Supplemental Emergency Proclamation
Relating to Tropical Storm Lala supersedes the First Supplemental EP, and shall terminate
automatically sixty (60) days after its issuance, unless extended or terminated by a separate or
supplementary proclamation, in accordance with HRS §§ 127A-I4(c) and (d). Any contracts,
agreements, procurements, or programs entered into or started under the Original EP or the First
Supplemental EP before this emergency proclamation takes effect shall continue in full force and
effect to the extent allowed by law.
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Done at the County of Hawaii,
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131" da of October 2026
o ameda, Ph.D.
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM County of Hawaii
AND LEGALITY:
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Renee N.C. Sch en
Corporation Counsel
County of Hawaii
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