Bill Text: HI HCR97 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requesting The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency To Conduct A Systematic, Transparent, And Data-driven Assessment To Determine Where New Warning Sirens Are Needed In The State, Based On Hazard Risks, Population Density, Vulnerable Populations, And Other Relevant Criteria.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 15-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-28 - Report adopted. referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Souki excused (1). [HCR97 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-HCR97-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
97 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
REQUESTING THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO CONDUCT A SYSTEMATIC, TRANSPARENT, AND DATA-DRIVEN ASSESSMENT TO DETERMINE WHERE NEW WARNING SIRENS ARE NEEDED IN THE STATE, BASED ON HAZARD RISKS, POPULATION DENSITY, VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND OTHER RELEVANT CRITERIA.
WHEREAS, Hawaii has a statewide warning system to warn residents of emergencies, including natural disasters, and acts of war, such as an incoming ballistic missile; and
WHEREAS, this system includes emergency broadcasts on television and radio, alerts sent to mobile phones via email or text, and an audible system of warning sirens; and
WHEREAS, the false missile alert that occurred on January 13, 2018, exposed that the warning systems currently in place are not reaching all people, as some people did not receive the alerts and also could not hear any audible sirens; and
WHEREAS, outdoor warning sirens have an audible range of approximately one mile and cost approximately $100,000 each to install, which would make it extremely costly to install enough sirens to cover all populated areas of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HEMA) does not have a systematic way to determine where new sirens are most needed and where the installation of new sirens is a priority; and
WHEREAS, rather than using a systematic, data-driven approach to determine where new sirens should be installed, such as considering hazards, population density, vulnerable populations that include vulnerable areas of the State and vulnerable people with disabilities as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and others with access and functional needs as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other relevant factors, HEMA instead makes decisions regarding new siren locations based on how many people request a siren or complain about not hearing or having a siren; and
WHEREAS, resources for new sirens are limited and should be directed to the areas that have high hazard risks and will serve the most people and should not be allocated based on how many people have called to request those resources without assessing other relevant data; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that HEMA is urged to update the process for determining the locations for new outdoor warning sirens so that it is systematic, transparent, and data-driven; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that HEMA is urged to consider population density, vulnerable populations that include vulnerable areas of the State and vulnerable people with disabilities as defined by the ADA and others with access and functional needs as defined by FEMA, hazard risks, and any other data deemed to be appropriate to the decision-making process; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that HEMA is requested to submit a report containing a list of the locations where new outdoor warning sirens are planned for installation during the 2019-2020 fiscal year, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2019; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the Mayor of each county, and the Director of each county's Civil Defense and Emergency Management Agency.
Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; Report; Warning Sirens
