STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1562

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

 

RE:   H.R. No. 264

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Public Safety and Legislative Management, to which was referred H.R. No. 264 entitled:

 

"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU CONDUCT A STUDY ON THE FEASIBILITY OF USING FACILITIES AT THE UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVATION AT LUALUALEI FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER PURPOSES,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the feasibility of using the facilities at the United States Naval Reservation at Lualualei as an emergency shelter.

 

     A resident of the Nanakuli area testified in support of the measure.  The Director of Civil Defense of the State Department of Defense testified in support, and the Legislative Reference Bureau offered comments.

 

     Your Committees find that Farrington Highway is the only evacuation route that may be used by residents of the leeward coast to reach other areas of Oahu in the event of an emergency.  Although the Lualualei Naval Reservation is in an area that could shelter leeward residents from the impact of most natural disasters, your Committees have concerns about the safety of residents taking shelter in a facility that is used by the Navy to store seventy-eight thousand tons of high explosive munitions.

 

     Your Committees find that the Lualualei Naval Road, also known as the Kolekole Pass Road, is the only passage through the Waianae mountain range that connects the leeward coast to central Oahu.  However, this road is closed to civilian traffic.  Lualualei Naval Road, if opened to civilian traffic during a natural disaster or emergency, could serve as an evacuation route for residents of the leeward coast.  Your Committees believe that the use of the Lualualei Naval Road to evacuate residents of the leeward coast in the event of a natural disaster could save lives.

 

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by deleting the request for the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the feasibility of using the Lualualei Naval Reservation as an emergency shelter.  As amended, this measure instead requests the Bureau to study the feasibility of using the Lualualei Naval Road as an emergency evacuation route in the event of a natural disaster or other type of emergency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Legislative Management that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 264, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.R. No. 264, H.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Legislative Management,

 

 

____________________________

JAMES KUNANE TOKIOKA, Chair

 

____________________________

FAYE HANOHANO, Chair