STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1467

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 22

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 22 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO COLLABORATE WITH RELEVANT AGENCIES TO DEVELOP INITIATIVES AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS TO INFORM KUPUNA ABOUT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to collaborate with relevant agencies to develop initiatives and outreach programs to inform kupuna about emergency preparedness.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Maui County Office on Aging, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, Hawaii SAR Alliance, Hawaii Council of Community Associations, Hawaiʻi Family Caregiver Coalition, AARP Hawaii, Alzheimer's Association Hawaii Chapter, Be Ready Manoa, and eight individuals.

Your Committees find that kupuna, or elders, are a particularly vulnerable population in the event of a disaster or emergency. For example, in the tragic aftermath of the 2023 Maui wildfires, more than two-thirds of the people who lost their lives in Lahaina were over the age of sixty. The State is also susceptible to unique catastrophes including tsunamis, hurricanes, and volcanic activity, and there are special considerations that apply to disaster preparedness for senior citizens. Kupuna may experience physical limitations in their ability to evacuate their homes quickly or without assistance. Kupuna may also experience cognitive differences that impair their ability to remember emergency evacuation routes.

Your Committees further find that outreach and educational programs are a necessary and valuable method of helping kupuna to prepare for disaster and equip them with the informational tools to give them the best chance of survival. Accordingly, this measure requests that appropriate agencies collaborate to create programs specifically geared towards kupuna in the State to inform them about emergency preparedness in the context of living with certain chronic medical conditions, differences in mobility, and limited access to transportation and communication technology.

Your Committees note that kupuna with disabilities should be included in these programs and that neighborhood boards and community groups working in relevant areas should be engaged in the development and application of the educational programs.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 22 and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair