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    Hurricane season: Be aware, get prepared

    MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, UNITED STATES

    06.24.2016

    Story by Cpl. Harley Thomas 

    Marine Corps Base Hawaii

    MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII – A family gathers at the beach to enjoy the day’s weather, some laying out on the warm sand, feeling the constant spray of the ocean, while others play in the ebb and flow of the waves; a couple walks, hand-in-hand, down the bustling streets of Waikiki and window shop before heading to dinner; a group of friends reach the end of a hiking trail and take a moment to rest, gazing out over the island. These are common snapshots of life on Oahu. For some, it may be described as a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, but for those who reside on the island, it is simply “home.”
    While many may see the island as paradise, it is important to take caution and prepare for the dangers that come with living on an island in the Pacific. For the citizens of Hawaii, it is never too early to begin preparation for hurricane season, which is June 1 to Nov. 30 in the Central Pacific area, and there are many educational materials available to do so.
    According to www.ready.gov, a website for the Ready Campaign, developed by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency, there are five categories of hurricanes, each measured by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane or major hurricane.
    Tropical depression, the least severe of the five categories, carries a wind speed of 38 mph or less, and tropical storm, with wind speeds ranging from 39 to 73 mph. A hurricane falls into categories 1 and 2 on the wind scale, with speeds of 74 mph or higher, and a major hurricane falls into categories 3, 4 and 5, with speeds of 111 mph and higher.
    While the idea of a hurricane may seem daunting, not everybody will have to evacuate their homes, according to the City and County of Honolulu Department of Emergency Management’s website at www.scd.hawaii.gov/preparedness.html. The website advises residents to stay home if their house was built after 1993 and has a window-less interior room, such as a closet or basement. However, residents living in houses built prior to 1993, on the ridgeline of a mountain or near bodies of water, such as a river or the ocean, are advised to relocate to the nearest available shelter.
    For hurricane season, Marine Corps Base Hawaii has an emergency plan, should a natural disaster occur. During a disaster, the base’s Mission Assurance – Force Protection Office staff, operating out of the Emergency Operations Center in building 217, helps execute procedures to support personnel on base.
    Various shelters will be available and personnel from each unit will be designated to manage those shelters, though the locations may be subject to change. The facilities most likely to open first during a disaster are the Semper Fit Center, Kulia Youth Center and base theater. Other shelters include the Chaplain Joseph W. Estabrook Chapel and the Enlisted Club at Kahuna’s Sports Bar and Grill. The Semper Fit Center gym is currently the designated pet shelter, and they must be kept in carriers at all times.
    Families also are encouraged to assemble emergency kits, which should include crucial items, such as important documents, flashlights, medication and food. Residents who remain in their home are also advised to turn off air conditioning, board up windows, turn the cold air in the refrigerator and freezer to its maximum temperature, and fill containers with at least three days’ worth of water.
    The DEM website states that all non-evacuating residents should gather their families, pets, provisions, including a radio, on the lowest possible floor of their house. MCB Hawaii residents can tune into emergency announcements from the “giant voice,” which can be heard across the base. The base emergency hotline is also available at 257-4636.
    Service members and their families may volunteer to support the base during and after a natural disaster. For example, volunteers can house other families, care for their neighbor’s children, support shelter needs or medical care, as well as manage donations or perform administrative tasks.
    To join the Community Emergency Response Team, volunteers must call the Mission Assurance – Force Protection Office at 257-8460, 8820, 8845 or 8819. Volunteers wishing to join will undergo 20 hours of training.
    For more information, contact the EOC at 257-3818. For emergency preparation and other information, visit www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil/unithome/featuredinformation/disasterpreparedness/hurricaneawareness.aspx, www.oahuDEM.org and www.ready.gov.

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    Date Taken: 06.24.2016
    Date Posted: 06.24.2016 16:56
    Story ID: 202437
    Location: MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US

    Web Views: 95
    Downloads: 0

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