Pearl City and Aiea legislators, Honolulu City Councilmembers, the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management, and Federal and State emergency management agencies all joined Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell in presenting the Ready 2 React Emergency Preparedness Event held on Saturday, July 20 at Pearlridge Center.
The event was a great opportunity for the public to learn more about being prepared and to react in the event that an emergency or disaster should strike on Oahu. Councilmember Breene Harimoto and his staff along with Mayor Caldwell and the City, played a major role in organizing and coordinating Saturday’s first annual Ready 2 React Emergency Preparedness event.
“You know Ready 2 React is really important because it’s about self-empowerment on disaster preparedness. Government can do part of it, but each individual who lives on this island has to be ready in times of a disaster. Today, at this event is all about helping self-empower the residents of the Pearl City and Aiea area to be ready for a bad thing to happen, earthquake, tsunami or hurricane. And while government is out there trying to help those most in need of help, others have to help themselves and then their neighbors. That’s what it’s about today, and I’m here to emphasize that.
Councilmember Harimoto is a partner with the executive branch with this Mayor. I have to say there is no better councilmember in terms of reaching out to his community. Breene is there every single day for the community that he represents. He very quickly pulled this thing together, and it’s really an important function. You look around here today and you have every area legislator and councilmembers. It’s a testament to Breene and the Aloha they have for him. This could also be an annual event. I think this constant reminder to be ready is something we need to do, and if Breene says let’s do it again next year, we’ll be here again next year. We need to do this in other areas too. We’ll watch how this works and then we’ll look to do it in other areas around the island. It does say something about the Pearl City and Aiea folks, they want to be ready, they want to know more, they want to learn. So we’re going to start here first.”
…..Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell
“This is great. We have a whole bunch of city and state agencies here just to educate the public about disaster preparedness. They say it’s not a matter of “if”, but it’s “when” a disaster occurs. So we’re just trying to educate everybody. Pearlridge Center has been a wonderful host. We are planning to do this annually. The co-sponsors are actually the City and County of Honolulu, the Department of Emergency Management, all of the Pearl City and Aiea legislators, councilmembers, and all of the participating agencies as well as Pearlridge Center. The goal really is to educate the public about disasters.”
…..Honolulu Councilmember Breene Harimoto
“I think it’s exciting! As you know, we do have and sponsored events from time to time in the community just trying to get them out here. We know that in terms of disaster preparedness, the best preparation is for everybody to take responsibility for themselves and be ready. There’s no way every disaster is bigger than we could ever plan for. It’s events like this that really gives the community opportunity to learn what they need to be ready for and get ready.”
…..State Senator David Ige
“We’re just honored to be the sponsor of this event and host it and have all these agencies represented to give the community information that hopefully they’ll never need, but we know someday, something may happen. This is being really proactive and getting the word out and there’s no better place than Pearlridge Center. Councilmember Breene Harimoto approached us and we just said “sure”. We got the space and the natural attraction of the people who come here to shop, and now they’re going to learn something and hopefully be better informed for the future. With the equipment that’s down in the Toys R Us lot, what we call the triangle with EMS down there, and Uptown and Downtown with the information booths, it’s really getting to a lot of people, and look at all the people here today. My staff is also all here and they’re all for it. We’re really excited to be part of this and like Breene said, hopefully this will be an annual event.”
…..Pearlridge Center General Manager, Fred Paine
Ready 2 React Emergency Preparedness event organizer, Honolulu Councilmember Breene Harimoto and Councilmember Carol Fukunaga presented a certificate of appreciation from the Honolulu City Council to Pearlridge Center General Manager Fred Paine for their efforts in supporting and hosting Saturday’s event.
State Representative Gregg Takayama represented the state legislature in presenting Mr.Paine with a certificate of appreciation for Pearlridge Center’s support of emergency and disaster readiness in our Pearl City and Aiea communities.
Emergency and Disaster informational booths were positioned at both Pearlridge Center’s Uptown and Downtown stage areas. City, State, Federal and Military First-Responder vehicles and equipment were on display in the TJ Maxx and Toys R Us parking lots. The public had the opportunity to climb on board and learn more about each vehicle from the professionals that use them in emergency and disaster situations.
Locations of Informational Booths and First-responder vehicles featured on Saturday:
Pearlridge Center Uptown:
American Red Cross, Community Emergency Response Team, Department of Emergency Management, Department of Transportation + TheBus + Handivan, Ewa Emergency Preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Heart Foundation, Hawaii State Civil Defense, Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaiian Humane Society, Honolulu Board of Water Supply, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, National Weather Service, NOAA Coastal Storms Program/NOAA Pacific Services Center, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, SOH Department of Land & Natural Resources, University of Hawaii Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii Sea Grant, US Coast Guard, Hawaiian 105 KINE. HawaiianMiles Redemption Table
TJ Maxx Parking Lot:
Honolulu Police Department, Mobile Command Vehicle, American Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service HAM Radio, Ocean Safety Rescue Apparatus, Civil Air Patrol Glider
Pearlridge Center Downtown:
Community Emergency Response Team, Department of Emergency Management, Honolulu City Local Emergency Preparedness Committee, Honolulu Police Department Keiki ID, Honolulu Fire Department, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, HawaiianMiles Redemption Table
Toys R Us Parking Lot:
Krater96, Honolulu Fire Department’s Ladder Truck, Hawaii National Guard 93rd Civil Support Team’s: Communication Van –Analytical Lab System Mobile Van – ADVON Suburban with an INMARSAT Satellite Dish – Ranger off-road all-terrain Polaris Vehicle – UCS Operator – Robot
Keiki Ready 2 React Passports
Ready 2 React Passports were distributed to the kids that encouraged them to visit 16 activities to get their passports stamped and receive a free shave ice and other goodies from event sponsors. They were also entered to win a $100 shopping spree at Toys R Us. They had a lot of fun and a great educational experience learning from all the different Emergency and Disaster Preparedness booths and visiting with First-Responder Vehicles and their teams.
Mahalo to our Aiea/Pearl City area Legislators and Councilmembers for their support:
Senator David Ige, Senator Donna Mercado Kim, Senator Clarence Nishihara, Representative Aaron Johanson, Representative K. Mark Takai, Representative Gregg Takayama, Representative Roy Takumi. Councilmember Carol Fukunaga, and Councilmember Breene Harimoto.
Also mahalo to radio personalities from stations Hawaiian 105 KINE and Krater96 for an awesome job!
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Honolulu City Councilmember Breene Harimoto and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell pose for photo near
the Pearlridge Center's Uptown stage during the Ready 2 React Emergency Preparedness Event.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
(Pictured from left to right) Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, Nikki Padilla, Pearlridge Center Marketing
Coordinator, Representative Gregg Takayama, Fred Paine, Pearlridge Center General Manager,
Kelly Kauinana, Pearlridge Center Marketing Director, and Honolulu Councilmember Breene Harimoto.
Nikki Padilla, Fred Paine, and Kelly Kauinana are pictured holding their certificates of appreciation from
the Honolulu City Council and Hawaii State Legislature for their support in hosting the first annual
Ready 2 React Emergency Preparedness Event held on Saturday, July 20 at Pearlridge Center.
Photo by Barry Villamil | [email protected]
Just having fun hanging out with the Krater96 crew in the Toys R Us parking lot at the Pearlridge
Center during the Ready 2 React Emergency Preparedness Event.
