Hawaii News

The Hā’ena Beach Park Siren Tower, one of 55 siren towers on the Garden Isle, is scheduled for testing on Friday after Tuesday’s tsunami warning.

Tsunami waves generated by distant earthquakes take hours to reach the Hawaiian Islands, giving people time to evacuate vulnerable areas. Local tsunami, however, do not need to travel far to reach our shores, leaving a much shorter time to respond.

Hawai‘i U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz launches online guide to learn more about how major changes to health care, food assistance and other services, as well as education and taxes, will affect thousands of island residents because of the new fedeal tax law.

Elton Ushio, administrator with the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, said while he thought the response went well, “real-world threats like yesterdayʻs Tsunami Warning always test our collective readiness and limits.”

Shipping company’s operations at ports in Hilo, Kawaihae on Big Island and Nāwiliwili on Kaua‘i are open again; barges from Honolulu arrived at Kawaihae and Nāwiliwili on July 29, but not all cargo was discharged and none was loaded back from either port.

“Our hotels’ ability to mobilize even before an official warning was issued, and their seamless coordination with state and county officials, truly highlights our unwavering commitment to the safety of our guests, employees and our communities,” said Hawai‘i Hotel Alliance President Jerry Gibson in a release.

Aimed at helping communities recover from major disasters more quickly, the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act was introduced and written by Hawai‘i Democrat U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and Maine Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

The new laws range from rental vesseel registration requirements and vessel access to Hanalei Bay along the Garden Isle’s North Shore to size limits for wastewater services and a public lottery to lease public lands for recreation-residence use.

Based on all available data, a tsunami is not expected to strike the State of Hawai’i.

Green said earlier Tuesday afternoon that the state was bracing for “significant damage along the coastlines.”

Mayor Kawakami signs emergency proclamation, bridges closed, evacuation/shelter areas open, all commercial vessels ordered to evacuate from harbors as islands brace for tsunami generated by magnitude-8.8 quake from east of Russian coast.

Matson announced the decision in a July 14 letter to customers, citing a fire risk posed by the large lithium-ion batteries used to power the vehicles.

Registration is open for First Tee Hawaiʻi sessions on Maui and Kauaʻi.

Iona is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale with winds of 125 mph and higher gusts, according to a 5 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

Following a sold-out run earlier this year on Oʻahu, the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance is bringing the hit show –– that still resonates with audiences today, nearly 30 years after it debuted off Broadway in New York City before becoming a global cultural phenomenon –– to Kauaʻi Community College Performing Arts Center from Aug. 8-10.

Last year, 1,073 safety recalls nationwide affected more than 35 million vehicles and pieces of equipment, including tires and car seats; close to 1.4 million vehicles on Hawai‘i’s roads, about 280,000 could have at least one outstanding safety recall that poses potential danger.

100 ʻekupuʻu, a native Hawaiian bird that once thrived at Kuaihelani on the far northern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, now a part of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, were released on Eastern Island last week as part of continuing efforts to re-establish and expand native bird populations to the national monument in preparation for potential catastrophic events.

One lucky winner will recieve a trip for 2 to the festival on O’ahu at the end of October, including airfare for two on Hawaiian Airlines, a 4-night stay at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Paradise Hotel, two priority access tickets to the Hawaiian Airlines Presents Decanted grand tasting and two tickets to Cirque Du Soleil ‘Auana at OUTRIGGER Waikīkī Beachcomber Hotel, a prize package worth a total $5,700.

Annual 3-month Operation Nasse — conducted by United States, Australia, France and New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu — aimed at safeguarding marine resources of Pacific Island nations.

The full-scale all-day “disaster” simulation involved a variety of drills, including hazardous materials decontamination, response to natural or man-made disasters, survey and triage operations, communications testing, and coordination of emergency operations.