THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            36
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING A STUDY REVIEWING THE STATE CIVIL DEFENSE SYSTEM. 


 1        WHEREAS, disasters take on many forms and are caused by
 2   gale force winds, sudden floods, releases of deadly chemicals,
 3   fire, ice, even upheavals of the earth itself; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, due to Hawaii being prone to natural disasters,
 6   Hawaii is the home to an array of necessary disaster-related
 7   agencies and services unmatched by any other state including
 8   the Pacific Disaster Center in Maui, the Center of Excellence
 9   in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance, telemedicine
10   facilities, regional weather observation and forecast centers,
11   and the headquarters for the U.S. Pacific Command; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, Hawaii's own state Civil Defense system, which
14   prepares the State for and coordinates the State's recovery
15   from disasters ranging from hurricanes to gas leaks and from
16   fires to floods, is well-organized and highly respected; and
17   
18        WHEREAS, it is imperative that the legislature ensure that
19   the state Civil Defense system be both efficient and effective
20   and that all Hawaii's disaster-related agencies, services, and
21   resources are fully utilized and coordinated; now, therefore,
22   
23        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
24   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
25   Representatives concurring, that the Director of Civil Defense
26   is requested to conduct a study reviewing the status,
27   efficiency, and effectiveness of the State's Civil Defense
28   system, and that the study shall address, among other things,
29   personnel issues and the roles of the state and counties in
30   civil defense; and
31   
32        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Civil Defense
33   is requested to report findings and recommendations to the
34   Legislature twenty days before the convening of the Regular
35   Session of 2000; and
36   
37        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            36
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Civil
 2   Defense.
 3   
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 5 
 6 
 7                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________