Consortium and NDPTC “tie-the-knot” at traditional Hawaiian ceremony

March 10, 2010

​HONOLULU, HAWAI'I: The NDPC quarterly meeting, February 8-11, 2010, hosted by the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) at the University of Hawai'i (UH), revealed many opportunities for collaboration and training. The consortium also celebrated recent membership of the NDPTC with a traditional Hawaiian lei-tying ceremony.

The week's full agenda included working-group presentations and status updates, principals-group forums with DHS/FEMA representatives, natural-disaster keynote speakers, demonstrations by scientists, and even a personal message to the consortium from U.S. Senator David Inouye.

On Monday, attendees traveled to the Big Island with Jim Kauahikaua, Scientist in Charge, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Bruce Houghton, Hawai'i State Volcanologist, to experience a natural disaster in progress – Kīlauea, the most active volcano on the planet.

Most volcanic eruptions last 1-6 months, but Kīlauea has been erupting continuously since 1983. This 26+ year lava disaster puts a strain on recovery efforts. A volcano's changing behavior presents special problems because residents become complacent, expecting the lava to behave a certain way when it is often unpredictable. People begin to take things into their own hands, sometimes rebuilding on unsafe, newly formed lava rock. Since 1990, over one hundred homes have been destroyed by lava, and active volcanoes due for eruption pose imminent threats to local communities, the scientists explained.

Lava flows often cut off roads and airport runways, creating compounded evacuation dangers in an area prone to tsunamis and earthquakes. Since 1946, the island has experienced five destructive tsunamis, eight damaging earthquakes over magnitude 6.0, and minor damage from Hurricane `Iniki in 1992, according to the scientists. These events, and the efforts of the agencies responsible for hazard assessment and risk mitigation, make Hawai'i a natural classroom for training, they noted.

On Tuesday morning, the halls of the Hawai'i Imin International Conference Center echoed with drumbeats and chants of a traditional Hawaiian Hula dance to begin the NDPTC opening ceremony. Consortium members were held rapt by this performance of kahiko, a ceremonial dance defined by adherence to ancient rhythms, movement and costume. This old-world dance signifies the influence Hawaii's unique natural geography has on her people and symbolizes the theme of collaboration between the NDPC and the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center.

University of Hawai'i President M.R.C. Greenwood welcomed NDPC members and congratulated everyone on the new working relationship with the NDPTC. Greenwood described the specialized knowledge of physical sciences, social sciences and rich cultural understanding that the university brings to the consortium.

Next, ceremony facilitators presented a video-message from U.S. Senate Appropriations Chair, Daniel K. Inouye. The Senator commended the mindfulness of mission generated by the collaboration of consortium members, making special note of the geographical significance and training opportunities of his home state.

Bill Carwile, FEMA Associate Administrator, Response and Recovery, appeared as a special guest of the consortium. He stressed the importance of positive perception and a teamwork attitude as points of focus for FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "Administrator Fugate makes it very clear that the little things matter, such as referring to disaster survivors rather than victims," explained Carwile.

"In the major events this year, American Samoa started getting relief in 20 hours, and events in Haiti led to the formation of a DHS integrated response team. Both places are island communities, so the NDPTC is important to the consortium," he said.

The keynote speaker, Ramsay Taum, is founder and president of the Life Enhancement Institute of the Pacific, an organization dedicated to the harmony of people and the environment. "Our institute promotes the idea that the ocean is a blue continent connecting all nations rather keeping them apart. Resource conservation is crucial because we are all on this island of earth together," said Taum.

Consortium Chair Jim Fernandez described the promising opportunities made available with the NDPTC's recent consortium membership. "The NDPC has trained more than 1.5 million responders to date. With this collaboration, all past achievements of the NDPC have become the achievements of the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center. Our success is your success," said Fernandez.

Karl Kim, Executive Director, NDPTC, expressed the urgent need for all-hazards training. "As a start-up group, the NDPTC initially focused on high-consequence, low-probability events. However these are not rare events, and coupled with human proclivity to build and live in natural-hazard zones, what were once considered 100-year events now occur with alarming frequency," explained Kim.

"We must ensure that our policy and training enables us to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from all-hazards," he said.

Dr. Kim was joined on stage by Dr. Failautusi Avegalio, Jr., Director of the Pacific Business Center Program, UH, to present the first ever NDPTC Community Resilience Award.

Award recipient, Aveao Faausu Fonoti, mayor of Amanave village in American Samoa, not only survived the Samoan natural disaster, but "many lives were saved because of his bravery, his knowledge, his leadership and his actions," noted Kim.

Principals took the stage for the final presentation, a traditional lei-tying ceremony. The NDPC, NDPTC and UH, along with special guests Bill Carwile, FEMA and Tom Ridgeway, FEMA Branch Chief, National Preparedness Division, completed the circle of chiefs. The circle made a spoken commitment to national preparedness goals, then tied-the-knot of the lei to signify the union of collaboration.