On Hawaii Island, government and citizens are joining forces to better prepare for wildfires

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In the year since the Lahaina wildfire disaster, the head of Hawaii County’s Civil Defense Agency says he’s implemented additional training for emergency management staff with a focus on messaging and the use of the public alert warning system.

Additionally, the Hawaii County Fire Department now ups its staffing during red flag warnings. And the county’s emergency operations center is also activated earlier.

Fire mitigation projects are underway, too. “The Department of Transportation has put in about 30 miles worth of fuel breaks around some high fire danger areas,” including in Kohala Ranch Estates, Kailapa, Waimea and Waikoloa, said Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno.

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The community is also stepping up to make a difference.

Seventy-three volunteers with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization, spent 4,000 hours bolstering this fuel break on the mauka side of Waikoloa Village.

And something unique: A portion of Waikoloa Village’s homeowners association fees are solely used for fire protection.

The county says it’s hardened the Hulu Street escape route, a second road out of the community, that’s utilized in emergencies.

The Roth Administration is also working with private land owners to create a third emergency road that would allow egress from Waikoloa Village to Queen Kaahumanu Highway.

HNN Investigates

Right now, the neighborhood is in the process of expanding to the north. With blustery winds and dry conditions a part of everyday life there, the head of the community’s Fire Wise Committee told us she’s against the new development saying it’s not safe.

“That’s a fire trap on the north side until another road is built,” said Firewise Committee Chair Shelly Aina. “Anyone who lives on that side is going to have to fight all the traffic to get out.”

HNN Investigates took that concern to Mayor Mitch Roth, asking if he thought it was a good idea to build more homes in the back of Waikoloa Village. “It’s kind of like a catch-22,” he said. If you don’t build those things (houses), the owners of the land won’t build it (the road).”

Roth says developers have agreed to put in the road and that ground was broken on the project in May. As for when it’s expected to be completed, Roth said, “We’re hoping the emergency access road happens within the next year. That’s their timeline that they’ve given us.”

One thing everyone agrees on: When it comes to disaster preparedness, government can’t do it alone. “Folks need to plan for themselves as well,” Magno told HNN Investigates.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to shelter in place? Can you shelter in place? Do you have defensible space that your house will be protected or do you need to leave.”

For a comprehensive list of actions you can take to ready your home for a wildfire, click here.

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