HONOLULU (KHON2) — As Hurricane Kiko makes its way towards the Central Pacific, the time to stock up on supplies, get familiar with evacuation zones and routes and get both the inside and outside of your house in order is now.
Hawai’i Island could potentially feel the impact of the storm first, so the county’s Civil Defense Agency shared some important recommendations.
“For any disaster, people need to be able to access a plan, basically what are they going to do? Recognize their vulnerabilities, where they live, work,” said Talmadge Magno of Hawai’i County Civil Defense. “The second thing is to receive the emergency alerts. They need to sign up for our Everbridge program. They can do that when they access our webpage as well.
The agency’s website has details on building an evacuation plan, and instructions on how to sign up for emergency alerts, which will notify users of important information regarding nearby shelters, road closures or traffic and current weather conditions.
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But across all islands, and to prepare for any natural disaster, it’s also recommended to have supplies prepared in a go-bag that can last for at least 14 days.
“A good rule of thumb is to have one gallon (of water) per person per day,” said Kiele Amundson of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, “Have medications ready, first aid supplies, get documents placed in a sealed plastic bag, just the necessities.”
Evacuation is only recommended if it’s absolutely necessary. In the event of a storm, if you’re out of evacuation zones and able to tie down or bring in any outdoor items, it may be better to stay in place.
“What we learned from the recent tsunami warning was there was so many people on the roads, so be smart about hunkering down,” said Amundson. “If you don’t need to go anywhere, stay in place so that you’re not clogging up the roads for first responders or emergency vehicles.”
More details on HIEMA’s recommendations for staying prepared can be found on their website here.