As summer approaches, heat and dry weather conditions make areas in Hawaiʻi more prone to wildfires.
That’s why the state is working on fire mitigation efforts like grass management, installing more remote weather stations for monitoring and urging the residents to be mindful of actions that could spark fires.
More than 98% of Hawaiʻi’s wildfires are caused by people, according to the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization.
Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency Administrator James Barros said he is working with community partners to educate communities about fire preparedness.
“The threat of wildfires is shared throughout our communities, but our strongest defense lies in our unity. By collaborating across the state, preparedness, response and mitigation, we can address the threat of wildfire,” he said.
“It has to be a kākou effort. Our state agencies. They have their kuleana and they play a critical role in preparing our state to meet future challenges.”
Honolulu Department of Emergency Management is also urging families to prepare a go-bag with essentials, like important documents and underwear, that they can quickly take with them if they need to evacuate their homes.
“Usually a backpack works best and with just the bare essentials of what you're going to need to survive for those first couple of days,” Hiro Toiya, HI-EMA department director, said.
“That can just really make a difference in terms of your quality of life in the immediate aftermath of an emergency," he said.
The state Department of Transportation said it’s working with federal partners to evaluate and open up more emergency routes for evacuation in case of a disaster.
