Community survey to assess East Hawaiʻi emergency preparedness

Some select East Hawaiʻi residents will get a knock on their door next week from staff members with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health Hawaiʻi District Health Office and its partners who want to know how prepared they are if disaster were to strike.

The district health office on the Big Island is conducting a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response survey from May 12-16 to assess the emergency preparedness level of households in Hilo, Puna and Kaʻū.

The project is an interagency collaboration between the health office, Hawaiʻi County and community organizations to coordinate and conduct the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response study for Hawaiʻi Island.

Partners include:

• Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense.
• Hawaiʻi County Community Emergency Response Teams.
• Citizen Corps.
• Hawaiʻi Animal Kuleana Alliance.
• Men of Paʻa.
• Vibrant Hawaiʻi.

“This will be the first launch of the [Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response] survey in Hawaiʻi County to assess household public health emergency preparedness and evacuation plans, as well as help us to understand household awareness and concerns,” Hawaiʻi District Health Officer Dr. John Kolman said in the survey announcement.

These types of surveys have been used for years on Kauaʻi to elevate the community’s voice in emergency preparedness, and Kolman said his office is excited to partner with Hawaiʻi County stakeholders to conduct this one in East Hawaiʻi.

“The information we learn will enable the Hawaiʻi District Health Office and the county to better meet our community’s needs before, during and after a disaster,” he said.

Survey teams will go door-to-door to 30 randomly selected census blocks. Seven houses within each block will be systematically selected and surveyed for a total of 210 attempted household-level surveys.

Teams will be comprised of Department of Health staff and members of the local partner organizations.

The survey is estimated to take about 10 minutes. Selected households will be asked about:

• Their emergency and evacuation plans.
• Familiarity with local resources.
• Any concerns regarding disaster preparedness.

All survey responses will be voluntary and confidential; names and addresses will not be collected.

Team members will wear vests identifying themselves as part of the survey team and carry identification cards. Selected households will be offered the opportunity to complete the survey via the phone, if preferred.

Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response surveys also serve as valuable training for the district health office staff and its partners.

While this year’s focus is on eastern portions of the island, it’s hoped lessons learned from this survey can be applied to conducting a future west side survey.

Survey methodology was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to rapidly assess the health and other resource needs of a community after a disaster.

“We greatly appreciate the participation of eastern Hawaiʻi County residents and our community partners in this survey effort,” Kolman said. “Mahalo for generously sharing your time and responses with our survey teams.”