New video series offers tips to get “2 Weeks Ready” for emergencies

The Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency recommends that all state residents become “2 Weeks Ready” for an emergency, but many people aren’t sure how to do that.

To answer their questions, the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency has produced a series of short video presentations highlighting:

• What “2 Weeks Ready” means
• How to meet the specific needs of your household during an emergency, and
• Tips on how to overcome obstacles when building a stockpile of food, water, medicine, and other vital supplies.

The first three episodes of the series — entitled “What Does Your ‘2 Weeks Ready’ Look Like?” — were released Thursday in a playlist on HI-EMA’s YouTube channel and website. Each episode is roughly two minutes long. The first batch includes an introduction and a look at how to build a kit that matches your needs, whether your household includes keiki, kūpuna, pets, or all of the above.

Fifteen episodes have been produced and new episodes will be released on Thursdays throughout the summer. Additional episodes are being planned, allowing the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency to answer questions from the public.

“Our state’s remote location and long supply chain means an emergency can easily isolate our communities from access to food, fuel, and other vital supplies for days, or even weeks,” said Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency Administrator James Barros. “We’ve talked a lot in the past few years about the importance of being ‘2 Weeks Ready,’ but these videos really focus on providing step-by-step guidance on how each ‘ohana can get to that goal.”

Surveys of Hawai‘i households show that some may be short of space or cash to build up an emergency stockpile. Others just aren’t sure what to do.

“We understand that emergency preparedness isn’t easy,” Barros said. “These videos make it easier, by breaking preparedness down to one step at a time and offering advice on specific obstacles that people face.”