Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency releases videos on emergency preparedness

The Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency recommends that all state residents become “2 Weeks Ready” for an emergency.

Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency has produced a series of short video presentations highlighting the following topics:

• What “2 Weeks Ready” means
• How to meet the specific needs of your household during an emergency
• Tips on how to overcome obstacles when building a stockpile of food, water,
  medicine, and other vital supplies.
  

The first three episodes of the series — entitled “What Does Your ‘2 Weeks Ready’ Look Like?”- were released in a playlist on Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency’s YouTube channel and website. Each episode is roughly two minutes long. The first batch includes an
introduction and a look at how to build a kit that matches your needs, whether your household includes keiki, kūpuna, pets, or all of the above.

A total of 15 episodes have been produced and new episodes will be released on Thursdays
throughout the summer. Additional episodes are being planned, allowing Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency to answer questions from the public.

“Our state’s remote location and long supply chain means an emergency can easily isolate our communities from access to food, fuel, and other vital supplies for days, or even weeks,” said Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency Administrator, James Barros. “We’ve talked a lot in the past few years about the importance of being ‘2 Weeks Ready,’ but these videos really focus on providing step-by-step guidance on how each ‘ohana can get to that goal.”

Surveys of Hawaiʻi households show that some may be short of space or cash to build up an emergency stockpile. Others just aren’t sure what to do.

“We understand that emergency preparedness isn’t easy,” Barros said. “These videos make it easier, by breaking preparedness down to one step at a time and offering advice on specific obstacles that people face.”

Being “2 Weeks Ready” starts as simply as buying and setting aside an extra can of food on sale, or planning to check on a neighbor who may need help during an emergency. But these small steps will allow our first responders to focus on the communities and people who have been hit the hardest.

The videos were written and produced by Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency staff, supported in part by an Emergency Management Performance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Significant assistance and supporting information were provided by staff of the Hawai‘i Food Bank.