KAILUA-KONA — This is only a drill.
Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim’s office sent out a release Monday to inform the public that there’s no reason to panic if in the near future they encounter county personnel with roadblock equipment at intersections along coastal roadways islandwide.
Members of Hawaii County Departments of Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Civil Defense are teaming up this week with the Hawaii Island Safety and Security Professional Association and the state Department of Transportation to conduct tsunami training exercises across Hawaii Island.
Response teams will take part in preparedness drills between 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday and Friday.
“The reason for the drill is it’s been several years since they’ve had one and it’s a critical step — getting people out of the inundation zone,” said Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno. “We’ve had staff turnover and new leadership within the programs, so now is a good time to work out the plans and see if there are any bugs in them. Some of the policies and procedures have changed, so they’ll work those out as well.”
Barett Otani, information and education specialist with the Hawaii County Department of Public Works, said the mock operations will send personnel and equipment out to would-be roadblock sites but added that there will be no disruption to traffic.
The drills are also about taking an inventory of people and equipment since so much time has passed since the last drills were conducted. Although sirens won’t be part of the training exercises on Wednesday and Friday mornings, Otani mentioned them as part of what he believes is an important aside for the next time a tsunami does take aim at Hawaii Island.
“What most people don’t know is that the main purpose of the sirens is to tell you to tune into your radio stations and more information will be broadcast,” Otani said. “That there’s an important message to hear.”
Magno reiterated that it isn’t a matter of if a tsunami will head Hawaii Island’s way again, but when, referencing substantial tsunamis in the 1940s and 1960s.
“We’re kind of, some people use the term “overdue,” for a big hit. But … geologic time is so spread out that measured in our years, it’s hard to tell,” Magno said. “The significant thing is that we’ve had them, so we need to be prepared for them.”