Kupuna told KHON2 that losing communication is top of mind — especially since more than two-thirds of those who were killed in Lahaina were over 60 years old.
MANOA (Hawaii) — Preparing Hawaii’s most vulnerable populations for a disaster before it strikes is what the AARP is trying to do with Hawaii’s hurricane season approaching and the tragedy in Lahaina shining a light on how kupuna are at higher risk during natural disasters.
The AARP and disaster resiliency group Be Ready Manoa teamed up on Wednesday, April 24 to host the event. Kupuna told KHON2 that losing communication is top of mind — especially since more than two-thirds of those who were killed in Lahaina were over 60 years old.
“Losing power,” Manoa resident Patricia Johnson said. “All our devices today, everything depends on electricity and I think it took Lahaina to wake everybody up to the fact that we need to be connected, we need to be ready.”
Communication is not easy without power, which is why the AARP stepped in to provide walkie-talkies to every kupuna in attendance.
“Extended power outages can create a lot of problems, especially for older people,” said AARP Hawaii communications director Craig Gima. “This is a way that people can communicate with each other when the phones go down and electricity goes down.”
Organizers broke Manoa up into four zones and let residents connect with their neighbors. They also set up a system of channels for residents to tune into depending on the zone that they lived in. Some attendees met up with old friends.
“But also new friends as well, so that we were all in the same zone so we can connect with each other,” Manoa resident Dot Hazama said. “I’m not really technically akamai, but it seems simple enough.”
Each zone has a designated member to operate a ham radio that can listen to the community walkie-talkies — then the operator can relay information to City and State officials during a disaster.
“I felt that this would be just one way that I can provide some kind of service to our community because we’ve got a lot of great people who live here,” Be Ready Manoa president Wes Oda said.
“After every disaster, the community comes together and helps each other out,” Gima said. “What if they started planning for that ahead of disaster instead of after disaster? Could lives be saved? Possibly, right?”
The event is even more timely due to Hawaii’s hurricane season starting in June.
“If you’re prepared as a community for one type of disaster, it’s not a stretch to prepare for other disasters in the same way,” Gima said.
Click here for more information on Be Ready Manoa, details on similar groups in other areas can be found here.