Even before the Lahaina fire of August, 2023, Evelyn Lane, 67, was concerned about what would happen if a natural disaster struck the Kahuku Elderly Hauoli Hale senior and disabled low-income housing project that she lives in.
Who will help them if a fire broke out in the forested area near the complex? What if there’s a tsunami? Who would help residents in wheelchairs and those who have difficulty walking?
“All of these people could be left behind and I worried that would include me,” Evelyn said.
The complex is developing an emergency plan with help from neighbors, local community groups and an AARP Community Challenge grant.
The grant helped the neighboring Hui O Hau‘ula community organization purchase satellite internet system communication devices that provide internet to populations with little or no connectivity. The grant also provided training on emergency preparedness, and the use of Wi-Fi and the internet during a disaster to the Hau‘ula community and neighboring valleys in Northwest O‘ahu.
Hui O Hau‘ula President Dotty Kelly-Paddock notes that the communities between Ka‘a‘awa and Kahuku could be cut off if Kamehameha Highway is damaged in a disaster. She used the AARP grant to buy three internet devices. She used a grant from the Castle Foundation to buy two more devices for all of the Ko‘olauloa communities in Northeast O‘ahu, and helped Lane and other community activists get training so they could help organize their neighbors to become disaster resilient and prepare for emergencies.
Lane is organizing meetings with residents, the Kahuku Community Association, churches and other neighbors.
“You have to be really resilient to live on the North Shore of O‘ahu,” Evelyn says, adding that internet system and the disaster resilience plan “are going to be a real benefit to our community.”
As hurricane season approaches in June, AARP Hawai‘i encourages you and your family to have a personal disaster plan in place — especially if you are a kupuna or a caregiver for one. AARP also encourages community leaders to talk to neighbors about creating a disaster resilience plan so everyone can know what to do before the next one strikes. For more information, search online: “AARP How to Prepare for Natural Disasters” and “AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit.”
AARP HAWAI‘I (nonprofit)
1001 Bishop St., Ste. 625, Honolulu, HI 96813
866-295-7282 | hiaarp@aarp.org | aarp.org/hi
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