A warning sign in paradise. Photo courtesy of Flickr user Hawaiian Sea.

By Maria Lutz and Kim Coffee-Isaak

In January several TCA residents and friends joined Maria Lutz, Director of Emergency Services for Hawai‘i State Chapter Red Cross and TCA resident, to learn about our community preparedness situation.

Maria presented the most likely hazards we would need to deal with – Tsunamis, Hurricanes and Floods. We talked about making plans (assessment, evacuation and communications) and gathering supplies for an emergency kit as well as ways we could support each other. After discussing the resources Maria presented, and assessing the current state of our Neighborhood Watch program, we decided on a two
course action plan:

1. Develop a TCA Disaster Preparedness Handout, and
2. Meet again to discuss tangible ways our Neighborhood Security Watch could be employed to ensure all our neighbors are prepared and cared for in case of a disaster situation. The handout was emailed prior to Flossie and will be part of the updated TCA Directory.

We will let TCA residents know when we plan to meet again. In the meantime, there is lots of important information at: http://www. redcross.org/hi/honolulu/programs-services/diaster-preparedness

If you’re interested in helping our neighborhood directly following a disaster, e-mail maria.lutz@redcross.org to sign-up for Community Emergency Response Training. This 20-hour training teaches First Aid, light search and rescue operations and disaster preparedness. With at least 10 TCA people interested, we can potentially hold our own class.