HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	250
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting all state departments and each county to assist in the relief and recovery efforts of those in Hawaii affected by the March 11, 2011, tsunami.

     WHEREAS, on Thursday, March 10, 2011, a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter Scale with an epicenter near the east coast of Honshu Japan generated a tsunami that wreaked havoc throughout that region; and

     WHEREAS, the tsunami generated by that earthquake reached Hawaii's shores in the early hours of the morning on Friday, March 11, 2011; and

     WHEREAS, although Hawaii did not sustain the level of damage as that in Japan, damages to Hawaii's coastal areas are estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars; and

     WHEREAS, the 300-slip Keehi Lagoon, Hawaii's second largest small boat harbor, appears to have suffered the worst damage in terms of cost at an estimated $3.08 million; and

     WHEREAS, the Alii Drive area on Hawaii island was devastated, with significant damage at the historic Kona Inn facility, impacting approximately 50 businesses; and

     WHEREAS, Puuhonua O Honaunau, or the City of Refuge, has been closed in response to a number of sensitive cultural artifacts having been uncovered by the tsunami; and

     WHEREAS, other areas of the State, including Haleiwa on Oahu; Honokohau Harbor, Kailua-Kona, and Kealakekua on Hawaii Island; Kahului, Kihei, and Spreckelsville on Maui; and Kamalo on Molokai were also damaged in the wake of the tsunami; and
     WHEREAS, Governor Neil Abercrombie issued a proclamation on March 11, 2011, declaring a state of emergency, and a supplementary proclamation on March 13, 2011, which are the initial steps required to obtain federal disaster relief funds; and

     WHEREAS, it will continue to take a significant investment of time, effort, and economic resources to repair the damages and recover the losses suffered by the State; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that all state departments and each county are requested to assist in the relief and recovery efforts of those in Hawaii affected by the March 11, 2011, tsunami; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, head of each executive state department, and the Mayors of each county.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Hawaii Tsunami Relief Effort