Kauaʻi County Council Committee Meeting on Emergency Sheltering – February 5, 2025

The Kauaʻi County Council held committee meetings on February 5, 2025, starting at 8:30 AM in the Council Chambers. The primary focus was a briefing on emergency sheltering abilities and capacities on Kauaʻi, presented by the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency (KEMA) and the American Red Cross – Pacific Islands Region. The briefing covered shelter history, current refuge areas, partnerships, and staffing challenges.

Consent Calendar

• Public Works & Veterans Services Committee: Approved minutes of the January 22, 2025 meeting.
• Finance & Economic Development Committee: Approved minutes of the January 22, 2025 meeting.
• Committee of the Whole: Approved minutes of the January 22, 2025 meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tommy Passerell (Līhuʻe resident): Criticized FEMA's response to past disasters, questioned overall preparedness for a major hurricane or tsunami, and urged the council to coordinate a comprehensive plan. He also noted the one-year anniversary of Toby Keats’ passing and acknowledged his support for troops.
• Additional speaker (name not given): Questioned who is responsible for planning post-disaster bridge replacements (e.g., Acrow bridges) and emphasized the need for pre-event planning. He praised the Red Cross and KEMA but stressed that FEMA’s response is inadequate.

Discussion Items

PSHS 2025-01 – Briefing on Emergency Sheltering

• Elton Ushio (KEMA Administrator) presented a history of sheltering on Kauaʻi, from Cold War-era civil defense to the current system. He explained the shift from “shelters” to “hurricane refuge areas” (Best Available Refuge Area standard) and noted that 16,400 shelter slots currently exist, with approximately 2,000 more to be added after renovations at the Kauaʻi War Memorial Convention Hall and Kīlauea Gymnasium are completed. During Hurricane Iniki (1992), 8,000 people used shelters out of a population of 53,000; today’s population is about 73,000. He highlighted the 2023–2024 Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program with the Department of Defense, which assessed many facilities. He also noted that no current shelters are rated for nuclear fallout.
• Tony Briggs (Regional CEO, American Red Cross – Pacific Islands Region) and Renese Bayne (Regional Disaster Officer) presented the Red Cross’s role in sheltering, mass care, volunteer training, and partnership with KEMA. They described the disaster cycle services, volunteer engagement, and the challenge of geographic distance across the Pacific. Bayne stated that on Kauaʻi there are 46 trained disaster volunteers and another 40 non-disaster volunteers. The Red Cross is currently without a full-time community disaster program manager on Kauaʻi (vacant since September/November 2024). Bayne and Briggs acknowledged that low pay is a barrier to hiring local qualified candidates.
• Councilmember Cowden (requestor of the briefing) expressed concern about the lack of a dedicated Red Cross staff member on Kauaʻi, the high turnover, and the team’s newness. She cited the Maui Wildfire After-Action Report (observation 8) on sheltering challenges and asked how the council could help. She noted that the position’s pay is insufficient for the cost of living and suggested recruiting retired first responders.
• Councilmember Raposo asked about the timeline for bringing the Convention Hall and Kīlauea Gym back online as usable shelters. Ushio deferred to the Department of Parks and Recreation for specifics but noted that currently those facilities are not usable.
• Councilmember Kuali asked about the difference between “shelters” and “refuge areas” and how the public will be notified during an emergency. Ushio explained that the BARA standard is a minimum engineering assessment and that KEMA will announce open shelters via press releases, website, and radio.
• Councilmember Kanashiro inquired about the lack of shelters on the North Shore (only Kīlauea Elementary and Kīlauea Gym, the latter under renovation). Ushio confirmed that there are no other shelters farther north and that many previous facilities are in tsunami evacuation zones.
• Councilmember Holland asked about nuclear fallout protection, sheltering agreements with the Department of Education, and the role of county/state employees in staffing. Ushio stated that no current facilities are rated for fallout, and that staffing remains a partnership with DOE, Parks and Rec, and Red Cross.
• Councilmember Cavaliero asked about the per capita shelter capacity compared to other counties. Ushio said Kauaʻi fares better than Honolulu but is second to Hawaiʻi County.

Key Outcomes

• The committee voted to receive the communication (PSHS 2025-01) and the briefings from KEMA and the Red Cross. The motion carried unanimously.
• No formal directives were issued, but councilmembers expressed a desire to support recruitment of a local Red Cross disaster program manager, potentially by advocating for a cost-of-living adjustment from Red Cross national leadership.
• Councilmember Cowden offered to write a letter to Red Cross headquarters to request higher pay for the Kauaʻi position.
• The council noted the upcoming hazard mitigation plan update as an opportunity to document shelter needs and prioritize projects.
• The meeting adjourned after the Committee of the Whole minutes were approved.