Question: With the power out and my phone’s battery precious and fading, I wish I had a physical copy of the disaster-prep booklet they used to give out. Easy enough to read by flashlight and I wouldn’t deplete my phone looking stuff up on the internet. Do they still make those?
Answer: Yes, you can pick one up at any public library, although no sooner than Monday, because all of Hawaii’s public libraries closed Friday through today because of the storm, according to the Hawaii State Public Library System.
The “Handbook for Emergency Preparedness,” published by Hawaiian Electric in partnership with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and county emergency management agencies, also is available in digital form on HECO’s website, in multiple languages. However, as you said, it’s good to have a hard copy when the power goes out, especially during prolonged outages, which also can disrupt internet access and cellphone use, even for people with solar power battery backup.
Whether printed or online, the handbook is an everyday planning tool and a guide during emergencies, including severe storms like the one that just walloped Hawaii. It covers electrical safety and food and water safety during and after a disaster or prolonged power outage, along with other topics, and was updated to include information about wildfire safety and prevention.
You are one of many people lamenting that they did not have some basic gear Friday, including a portable, battery-powered radio to keep up with emergency alerts after their electricity, cable TV, internet and cellphone service went out. A portable radio (battery, hand crank or solar-powered) is the first item listed in the handbook’s “Home Survival Kit Checklist.”
With widespread power outages persisting Saturday, here are a few tips from the handbook:
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>> Never cook indoors with charcoal or other fossil fuels. Never use a portable generator inside a home, garage or basement. The exhaust from a gas-powered generator contains lethal carbon monoxide. “Only use the generator outside, away from your home’s windows, doors and vents,” and away from those of your neighbors.
>> “Do not touch photovoltaic panels and components. Always assume they are energized. (If) your solar system is damaged in a storm or torn from your roof, contact your solar contractor and insurance company.”
>> Stay away from downed power lines (always assume they are energized and dangerous).
>> Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during a power outage. Food in a refrigerator may last up to four hours without power, while food in a freezer may last 24 to 48 hours, depending on how full the freezer is; the fuller the freezer, the longer the food lasts.
Q: Regarding the UH Cancer Center cyberattack, were people’s birth dates also in the files? It seems like they would be, at least in the lists drawn from driver’s licenses and voter registrations, but I haven’t seen that mentioned.
A: Yes, “confirming that dates of birth were part of the historic DLs and voter registration records possibly exposed in the cyberattack,” University of Hawaii spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl said in an email Thursday afternoon. We followed up asking whether the website that explains the ransomware attack, https://hawaii.edu/cancercenter/incident/, would be updated to reflect this fact — as of Friday it referred to files containing individuals’ names and Social Security numbers, but didn’t mention birth dates. Meisenzahl promised more information Monday, after the storm, which disrupted UH’s operations, closing many offices and canceling events, and kept him focused on emergency response.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email [email protected].