KAILUA-KONA — County and state workers donned yellow vests and helmets Friday morning for their annual exercise of tsunami evacuation training.
The Hawaii County Department of Public Works conducted the drill. The crew was joined by the Department of Parks and Recreation and state Highways Division.
Dale Gomes, Kona roads overseer for the county roads department, said the morning started out with a call to the crews to respond to command posts set up at Old Kona Airport Park and the county roads department in South Kona. Once they received their assignments, employees were dispersed in pairs to 31 tsunami evacuation posts throughout West Hawaii.
“We try to get better and today’s drill went really well,” Gomes said.
In a real event, Gomes said, crews would go out and set up barricades at the designated tsunami evacuation sites. On Friday, staff responded to their posts as if there were going to set up road blocks. When they got to their spots, they communicated with other crew members via radio.
Officials will review how the drill went in the next week.
Wendell Vincent, supervisor of the state Highways Division, said his department provided manpower to public works.
“We designate road crew to assist but construction crews are also ready to respond in a catastrophic event,” Vincent said.
The last tsunami to hit the Big Island was in March 2011. Officials say crews handled that incident well but they have since been able to improve their response due to better technology, communication and planning.
Since there is better communication within the departments, Vincent said, they are prepared all at once for a better result.
Andrea Avenue, North and south Kona districts supervisor for Parks and Recreation maintenance, also participated in Friday’s exercise. She said she also provided manpower to the Department of Public Works.
Avenue said her crew doesn’t go to the evacuation posts alone. They meet up with the county crew at the command post.
“We are ready with our helmets, vests, maps, barricades and flags,” she said. “We provide whoever comes into work. In an actual event, I’d call in my entire staff.”
Avenue thought the drill went well. She said more of the crew was knowledgeable about what to do in the event and there was more correspondance with the departments.
“I think it’s a very good thing, training, because you can always improve,” she said.