THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              13
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO INCLUDE CIVIL DEFENSE
    EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.
 


 1        WHEREAS, disasters take many forms and are caused by gale
 2   force winds, sudden floods, releases of deadly chemicals, fire,
 3   ice, even upheavals of the earth itself; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, Hawaii's location in the middle of the Pacific
 6   Ocean, and its formation as an island state makes it especially
 7   prone to many different disasters such as tropical cyclones,
 8   severe storms, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic activities,
 9   local flooding, droughts, and wildfires; and 
10   
11        WHEREAS, historically, when civil defense alerts or
12   weather warnings were issued they severely taxed the State's
13   telephone system and caused unnecessary anxiety and confusion
14   among the public, as employees attempted to determine whether
15   or not they were required to report to work, and parents and
16   students inquired whether public schools and the University of
17   Hawaii would be in session; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, the State's telephone and highway system should
20   be used for more urgent and pressing matters following these
21   kinds of warnings and alerts, such as notifying and assisting
22   residents living in designated evacuation zones; and
23   
24        WHEREAS, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well
25   as the State and County Civil Defense Agencies, all agree that
26   when disaster strikes the best protection is knowing what to
27   do; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, it is evident that Hawaii's citizens are
30   conscientious and want to do what is needed to be done in the
31   event of a disaster, but when disaster strikes, they are
32   totally stymied in their actions because the sounding of the
33   civil defense alert sirens, in effect, direct citizens to turn
34   on their radios for emergency broadcasts, but do not, of
35   themselves, detail any necessary disaster procedures; and
36   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              13
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, those who have a comprehensive civil defense
 2   education in disasters, disaster preparedness, and awareness at
 3   a young age will be better able to deal effectively with the
 4   situation if a disaster should strike; now, therefore,
 5   
 6        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
 7   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, that the
 8   Department of Education is requested to take all necessary
 9   steps to include a comprehensive civil defense education for
10   disasters, disaster preparedness, and awareness in the public
11   school curriculum; and
12   
13        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
14   Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of the
15   Department of Education and the Director of Civil Defense.
16 
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19                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________