Maui Hurricane Expo Breezes into Kaahumanu Center

By Wendy Osher

Central Pacific Hurricane Center, Satellite imagery, file image courtesy National Weather Service.

Tomorrow is the official start of the 2011 Hurricane Season in Hawai’i, which runs from June 1 to November 30. To help residents prepare, Civil Defense coordinators and Red Cross administrators will host the 5th Annual Maui County Hurricane Expo.

The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., this Saturday, June 4, 2011, at the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center.  Those in attendance can get information on emergency preparedness and attend a workshop on natural hazard preparation.

The Expo brings together organizations under one roof to offer practical and fun ideas about preparing for emergencies. Representatives from UH Sea Grant Program, Maui County Civil Defense, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Pacific Disaster Center, Salvation Army, Department of Land and Natural Resources Flood Plain Management, Simpson Strong Tie, and the Office on Aging will all be present to answer preparedness questions.

The workshop will be hosted by Dennis Hwang, the co-author of the “Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards.” Also in attendance will be Anna Foust, Emergency Management Officer with the Maui County Civil Defense Agency, and Ray Tanabe, the Chief Meteorologist from the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.  The workshop begins at 10 a.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Queen Ka’ahumanu Center, next door to the hair salon.

Different kinds of “go-kits” and first aid kits will be on display.  There will also be a prize wheel in which participants answer a “preparedness question” for a prize that they can add to their own emergency kit.

In addition, the Maui Chapter of the American Red Cross will have the stage set up to simulate how a mass care shelter may look like after a hurricane.  There will also be information on pet preparedness from the Maui Humane Society.

The Maui Hurricane Expo is co-sponsored by Maui County Health Volunteers, the Emergency Preparedness Branch of the Maui District Health Office, the Maui County Civil Defense agency, and Pacific Radio Group.