Emergency sites may be moved ADVERTISING Emergency sites may be moved HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are proposing to move the state’s public safety facilities to one central area that is safer from flooding. A resolution proposed by senators Michelle
Emergency sites may be moved
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii lawmakers are proposing to move the state’s public safety facilities to one central area that is safer from flooding.
A resolution proposed by senators Michelle Kidani and Donovan Dela Cruz would also consolidate the state’s data centers from 30 sites to one. The resolution says the current data centers are poorly monitored and of low quality.
The lawmakers say the ideal site for a safety and data security campus would be a 150-acre plot in central Oahu. They say disasters such as hurricanes Katrina and Sandy demonstrated the need to keep public safety sites far from floods and tsunamis.
The proposed site would also allow for reliable access to power, is near major roadways and offers quick access to downtown Honolulu and Honolulu International Airport.
Wrong man gets
nomination note
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii agency says it told the wrong man he was nominated to the board of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, which manages land set aside for Native Hawaiians.
William “Billy” Richardson was notified he was a nominee, so he told all his friends and started preparing for the confirmation process.
But state Boards and Commission Manager Jayson Muraki says a confirmation email was “inadvertently” sent to the wrong William Richardson.
The letter should have gone to the William Richardson who heads a venture capital firm and is the son of a former Hawaii Supreme Court justice.
Renwick Tassill of the Hawaiian Homes Commission says the mix-up shows the state places a low priority on Hawaiian issues.
Muraki says the agency is working to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
Hikers flow in despite closure
HONOLULU (AP) — The indefinite closure of Hawaii’s Sacred Falls State Park has not deterred visits from hikers, including two hikers who were issued citations by the state this week.
Ninety-two people have been cited since 2012, despite numerous warning signs of penalties for trespassing.
The Oahu park was closed after a 1999 rock-fall killed eight people and injured 33 others. Since 1970, there have been 22 deaths and many injuries and rescues because of rock slides or flash floods.
Randy Ching with the Oahu group of the Sierra Club’s Hawaii chapter is among those who believe the park should be open to the public.
Appropriate warnings should be given to people venturing there that they could die if they don’t pay attention, Ching said.
“What the state is trying to avoid is being sued,” he said. “They’re terrified. It’s a lot easier to close it up. But really, the trails belong to everyone.”
There are no plans to reopen the area, said state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman Deborah Ward. The closure decision that was made shortly after the 1999 accident was based on recommendations from geologists and professionals hired by the agency, she said.
The state agreed in 2003 to pay more than $8.5 million to the families of the victims of the 1999 rock-fall. Victims had claimed warning signs were inadequate at the time of the rock-fall.
Citations are petty misdemeanors with penalties of up to 30 days in jail and $2,500 fines.
It’s time for the state to reopen the park and let hikers decide what risks to face, said Richard McMahon, a veteran hiker and author. “I don’t see anyone out there closing beaches because someone drowned,” he said.
David Caldwell, a photographer and author of “Adventurer’s Hawaii,” said the state should require people who hike there to sign a waiver acknowledging the risk.
