Latest news with #AndriaTupola
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Maili wildfire prompts mass evacuation on Leeward Coast
RELATED PHOTO GALLERY Honolulu firefighters had a 95-acre wildfire in Maili 75 % contained Sunday night after it led to the mass evacuation of Leeward Coast residents, resulted in a 94-year-old woman being treated for smoke inhalation and burned two homes. City officials Sunday night told people who evacuated to remain out of the evacuation area until further notice. Those who stayed should remain in place, the city said. Some Maili residents, including Council member Andria Tupola, said they never received any notice to evacuate. 'I live pretty close to the fire and I did not get an evacuation order, ' Tupola said. 'I heard there was a radio announcement and some people got texts. But it mostly spread on social media.' If she had not been contacted by state Rep. Darius Kila (D, Nanakuli-Maili ) or Gov. Josh Green, Tupola said, 'I don't think I would have known about the fire.' But Kevin Miller, 58, was awakened by his cellphone with an alert to evacuate at 3 :37 p.m. He was napping inside a house on Kulaaupuni Street, which began filling with smoke. A Honolulu Police Department officer then arrived and told everyone to leave. 'So I got out of there, ' Miller later said Sunday night at the Waianae Intermediate School cafeteria that had been pressed into service as an emergency evacuation center, while vehicles continued to pour out of the Leeward Coast along Farrington Highway and Paakea Road. Miller was one of about 20 evacuees at Waianae Intermediate School, including Abdallah Mwamakatwe, 53, who also said he had received no evacuation order. He lives on the grounds of the Samoan Methodist Church on Paakea Road with an extended family that began to smell—and then see—smoke in the home about 3 p.m. Three cousins—ages 9, 12 and 17—tried to escape by climbing over the backyard fence, which neighbors had to break down to give them an escape route. 'I never yelled that loud for help in my life, ' Laina Tuinavave, 17, said at the evacuation center. The cousins said they were still shocked and traumatized Sunday night and had not had time to cry. Mwamakatwe, 53, was the last to flee the home and drove his Ford Bronco to reunite with his family at Maili Beach Park with only his cellphone. 'I'm glad we're all alive, ' he said. 'I didn't take anything. I'm just happy we came alive.' Kila said that two Maili homes may have burned, and Council member Tupola said that she understood that at least 'one family had lost everything.' The city said only that 'some structure damage ' had been reported Sunday night. Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said it treated a 94-year-old woman who suffered smoke inhalation and transported her in critical condition to an emergency room. Kila—one of many city, state and Neighborhood Board members who continue to advocate for another major route out of the Leeward Coast during an emergency—said Sunday's evacuation under the direction of HPD went orderly and the military remained on standby to open its Kolekole Pass as another evacuation route, if necessary. Kila said it appeared that state, city and military officials were coordinating efforts. 'I've been thoroughly impressed with the quick activation, ' he said. The order to evacuate was appropriate, Kila said, especially given the dry conditions as the Leeward Coast continues to dry out this summer, along with the leeward sides of all islands. 'I'd rather be safe than sorry, ' he said. 'I would rather us exercise safety than not.' Hawaiian Electric turned off power to 30 Maili homes in the fire area at the request of the Honolulu Fire Department, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Darren Pai said. Sunday's fire represented the latest response to Hawaii wildfires following the Aug. 8, 2023, Maui wildfires that killed 102 people and caused an estimated $13 billion in damage. The Maui wildfires were ignited when high winds knocked over a Hawaiian Electric utility pole overloaded with technology equipment that toppled over and ignited overgrown brush mauka of Lahaina town. Maui County firefighters thought they had extinguished the initial blaze, then left to respond to a different incident, only to discover that the smoldering fire broke out and raced down to Lahaina town, where fleeing residents' escape routes were blocked by other downed utility poles knocked over by high winds. Survivors complained that no tsunami warning alarms went off and Maui police did not broadcast evacuation orders from their patrol cars. The evacuation along Farrington Highway and Paakea Road on Sunday night appeared orderly as Honolulu police officers regulated traffic, Kila said. State Rep. Diamond Garcia (R, Ewa-Kapolei ) said that HPD officers Sunday night warned people over their patrol vehicles' loud speakers to evacuate. 'HPD has done a phenomenal job with their loud speakers, ' Garcia said. The state Department of Education announced Sunday night that the wildfire forced it to pause its free summer meals program during shelter use and Maili Elementary's summer meal service will be closed today because of road closures. For alternative meal sites, visit. Also Sunday night, Hawaiian Electric said that power would remain off for approximately 330 customers in Upcountry Maui until 'hazardous conditions improve.' Hawaiian Electric shut off power Sunday as part of its Public Safety Power Shutoff program following high winds and dry conditions. The utility said that power lines and other utility equipment must be inspected and any damage must be repaired before restoring power. The work could involve ground crews and aerial inspections using helicopters and drones, Hawaiian Electric said Sunday night. 'We sincerely apologize and ask for our customers' continued patience, ' Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president and chief operations officer, said in a statement. 'The safety of the public and our crews is our top priority. We will work as quickly as possible to ensure power can be restored safely without creating any additional hazards.' Hawaiian Electric said it may shut off power in communities with 'high exposure to wildfire risk during severe weather conditions. Customers in these areas are urged to implement their own emergency plans and prepare for the possibility of extended power outages.'
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
HPD vacancy task force under Council scrutiny
The Honolulu City Council is set to vote Wednesday on a proposed task force to reduce the Honolulu Police Department's dire staffing shortage of 456 uniformed officer vacancies—which despite mitigation efforts has grown 32 % in some four years. Council member Andria Tupola, who introduced Resolution 160 to form a task force, says HPD's staffing shortage is an ongoing crisis that puts the public at risk. 'We can't be burning days. This is a big issue, ' said Tupola during the Council's Public Safety Committee meeting Thursday. 'By the end of this year, we don't want to hit 500 ' police officer vacancies. The Council's Public Safety Committee has recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution 160 to fill vacancies and promote officer retention at HPD. Tupola's resolution states HPD 'is currently experiencing a severe staffing shortage, with 456 uniformed officer vacancies as of February 2025, compared to 345 vacancies in February 2021, despite ongoing efforts to reduce the shortage.' 'This staffing shortage has resulted in inadequate police coverage across Oahu, increased emergency response times, unmanageable caseloads for police detectives, and increased safety risks for both officers and the public, ' the legislation says. Resolution 160 highlights that in 2024, HPD conducted an internal 'Commander Performance Survey ' in which survey responses noted 'high vacancy rates, increased workloads, insufficient resources, and overall safety risks.' Tupola's resolution alleges that HPD's inability to resolve its officer vacancies rests with its leadership, in this case Police Chief Arthur 'Joe ' Logan. 'The City Council finds it necessary to hold the Chief of Police accountable for the failure to adequately address vacancies in a timely and effective manner, which has directly contributed to the current crisis, and to take swift action to resolve this issue, ' Resolution 160 states. 'Council believes it is critical to establish a task force to develop actionable strategies for reducing vacancies, improving retention, and ensuring that the HPD can effectively serve and protect Oahu communities.' Logan did not immediately respond to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's request for comment. Tupola's resolution also noted that part of HPD's challenge is that the department is not using all of its annual appropriations. In fiscal year 2024, HPD's patrol division let approximately $15 million in funding lapse—the largest lapsed amount of any city department, according to the Status of the City's Finances 2025 report issued by the Office of Council Services. The report also noted that HPD let $50 million of its overall fiscal year 2024 appropriation lapse. To put that into perspective, in March, HPD submitted a fiscal year 2026 operating budget request of nearly $400 million to fight crime. Resolution 160 also requests that the task force 'remain in effect to monitor progress on its recommendations and may be dissolved by the Council once (HPD ) demonstrates sustained improvement in recruitment, retention, and staff levels.' Tupola announced at Thursday's meeting that she had taken part in a recent meeting to discuss the task force proposal with Logan, Council Public Safety Committee Chair Val Okimoto and Police Commission Chair Kenneth Silva. She said the group 'all agreed that a written plan about addressing the vacancies, and not just recruitment (but ) also retention ' was needed and that budget-line items needed to delineate how to 'fund each of the things that we think will help the department move forward.' Tupola thanked city Managing Director Mike Formby for his assistance. 'He's been participating in a lot of these discussions, so he's included as well in the list of nine people ' on the task force, she added. Tupola noted that the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers and the Hawaii Government Employees Association could 'also play a role ' in advising Logan on how to retain positions or recruit to fill vacancies. The task force, Tupola said, also should have a representative from an outside police department. HPD Maj. Parker Bode, assigned to the department's Human Resources Division, told the committee that he favored Resolution 160. 'We support the intent of the task force, ' he said. Eddie Fujioka, a retired city Emergency Medical Services district chief, was among others who testified in support of forming a task force. Fujioka said he was pleased that a focus of Tupola's resolution is shoring up police dispatchers. 'I've noticed that the Police Department has always been short of dispatchers, ' he said. 'They're the primary answering point for the County of Honolulu, which means every 911 call must go to the Police Department, and it's routed to either EMS or Ocean Safety.' He added that HPD's dispatchers 'are the only dispatchers who are nonuniformed personnel, which means they make the lowest wages of any dispatcher in the county, yet they do the most amount of work, answer the most amount of calls.' 'And I've seen times when they're on skeleton crew and when a dispatcher who's on the radio has to go on a break, another dispatcher has to manage two districts, which is very dangerous and stressful for the dispatchers, ' Fujioka said. Council member Esther Kia 'aina suggested increasing the task force's 90-day timeline to produce a written report to 180 days. 'People who are going to be part of this task force will have their own opinions, and you don't rush something, ' Kia 'aina said. 'You discuss it and ensure that out of the collective voices you will hopefully have a unified front to wean out what should be actionable items.' Tupola said she was agreeable to a verbal amendment to increase the timeline to 180 days, but said, 'It does not prohibit us from finishing it faster.' Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board Chair Philip Ganaban told the Star-Advertiser after the meeting that his board supports Tupola's Resolution 160. A lifelong Waianae resident, Ganaban said increasing police presence in the area is a good thing, but it won't solve all crimes that occur there, particularly gun-related violence involving youth and families. 'We need to really find ways to make things positive for these kids, ' he said, adding that the cost of living and a lack of youth-oriented programs along the Waianae Coast increase the challenges. 'So these kids can fall into the wrong crowd, and can get them things that they can't do the legal way—which comes with the guns.' 'Don't get me wrong, I would love to have more police, ' he added, 'but I think it's not going to prevent anything.' To promote prevention and education, Ganaban said he favors restarting Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., or the Scared Straight program where at-risk youth are exposed to jail or prison life. 'Those are good programs that are not in the schools anymore, and I don't know why, ' he said. 'That's one of those HPD things that they did have that actually really made a difference when it started at a young age with the kids.' Jeff Merz, the Waikiki Neighborhood Board's Subdistrict 1 vice chair, said he favored improvements to HPD's staffing but also recognized that crime in the island's prime tourist zone will still occur. 'Again, anything we can do to shed light on the issue is good, but I'd like to see some absolutes, or some things that come out of this that are actionable and that would need to be required to be taken by the city, ' Merz, a 23-year Waikiki resident, said of the proposed task force. 'If those are the recommendations that they have to implement, or try to make them so we can solve this issue, as opposed to coming up with a report and putting it on the shelf.' 'So I think if it's got some teeth to it, and the City Council and the mayor agree to implement the recommendations, then I think we have something to stand on there, ' he added. However, Merz noted recruiting for police officers in high-priced Oahu is difficult. 'We're not the only city suffering from a lack of police officers ; it's nationwide, ' he said. 'Possibly, we're not going to be able to fill all of those positions ; it's expensive in Hawaii, and it's just not an occupation that a lot of people want to pursue.' Merz said employing new technologies—including ground-based surveillance cameras and aerial drones—may be alternate ways for law enforcement to reduce crime in Waikiki and elsewhere on the island. TASK FORCE REQUIREMENTS The HPD staffing and retention task force, formed by Resolution 160, will be composed of the following nine members :—The Council chair, or the chair's designee—A representative from the mayor's office—The chief of police, or the chief's designee—A Honolulu Police Commission representative—A city Department of Human Resources representative—A State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers representative—A Hawaii Government Employees Association representative—A current HPD officer, to be appointed by the Council—A representative from another police department with success in reducing officer vacancies, also to be appointed by the Council. Once formed, Resolution 160 says the new task force should study the following issues :—Analyze HPD recruitment and retention challenges and identify the primary causes of vacancies.—Review and evaluate existing hiring and retention initiatives, including financial incentives.—Assess HPD's hiring standards to determine whether they are unnecessarily restrictive and preventing qualified applicants from being hired.—Develop a strategic plan with short-and long-term recommendations to reduce vacancies and improve officer retention.—Evaluate HPD's budget to ensure funding is directed toward staffing priorities.—Submit a report to the Council within 180 days of the adoption of the resolution, which provides the task force's analysis and recommendations, and provide a copy of the report to the Honolulu Police Commission to support its evaluation of the chief of police. Source : Resolution 160
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
HPD vacancy task force under Council scrutiny
The Honolulu City Council is set to vote Wednesday on a proposed task force to reduce the Honolulu Police Department's dire staffing shortage of 456 uniformed officer vacancies—which despite mitigation efforts has grown 32 % in some four years. Council member Andria Tupola, who introduced Resolution 160 to form a task force, says HPD's staffing shortage is an ongoing crisis that puts the public at risk. 'We can't be burning days. This is a big issue, ' said Tupola during the Council's Public Safety Committee meeting Thursday. 'By the end of this year, we don't want to hit 500 ' police officer vacancies. The Council's Public Safety Committee has recommended that the City Council adopt Resolution 160 to fill vacancies and promote officer retention at HPD. Tupola's resolution states HPD 'is currently experiencing a severe staffing shortage, with 456 uniformed officer vacancies as of February 2025, compared to 345 vacancies in February 2021, despite ongoing efforts to reduce the shortage.' 'This staffing shortage has resulted in inadequate police coverage across Oahu, increased emergency response times, unmanageable caseloads for police detectives, and increased safety risks for both officers and the public, ' the legislation says. Resolution 160 highlights that in 2024, HPD conducted an internal 'Commander Performance Survey ' in which survey responses noted 'high vacancy rates, increased workloads, insufficient resources, and overall safety risks.' Tupola's resolution alleges that HPD's inability to resolve its officer vacancies rests with its leadership, in this case Police Chief Arthur 'Joe ' Logan. 'The City Council finds it necessary to hold the Chief of Police accountable for the failure to adequately address vacancies in a timely and effective manner, which has directly contributed to the current crisis, and to take swift action to resolve this issue, ' Resolution 160 states. 'Council believes it is critical to establish a task force to develop actionable strategies for reducing vacancies, improving retention, and ensuring that the HPD can effectively serve and protect Oahu communities.' Logan did not immediately respond to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser's request for comment. Tupola's resolution also noted that part of HPD's challenge is that the department is not using all of its annual appropriations. In fiscal year 2024, HPD's patrol division let approximately $15 million in funding lapse—the largest lapsed amount of any city department, according to the Status of the City's Finances 2025 report issued by the Office of Council Services. The report also noted that HPD let $50 million of its overall fiscal year 2024 appropriation lapse. To put that into perspective, in March, HPD submitted a fiscal year 2026 operating budget request of nearly $400 million to fight crime. Resolution 160 also requests that the task force 'remain in effect to monitor progress on its recommendations and may be dissolved by the Council once (HPD ) demonstrates sustained improvement in recruitment, retention, and staff levels.' Tupola announced at Thursday's meeting that she had taken part in a recent meeting to discuss the task force proposal with Logan, Council Public Safety Committee Chair Val Okimoto and Police Commission Chair Kenneth Silva. She said the group 'all agreed that a written plan about addressing the vacancies, and not just recruitment (but ) also retention ' was needed and that budget-line items needed to delineate how to 'fund each of the things that we think will help the department move forward.' Tupola thanked city Managing Director Mike Formby for his assistance. 'He's been participating in a lot of these discussions, so he's included as well in the list of nine people ' on the task force, she added. Tupola noted that the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers and the Hawaii Government Employees Association could 'also play a role ' in advising Logan on how to retain positions or recruit to fill vacancies. The task force, Tupola said, also should have a representative from an outside police department. HPD Maj. Parker Bode, assigned to the department's Human Resources Division, told the committee that he favored Resolution 160. 'We support the intent of the task force, ' he said. Eddie Fujioka, a retired city Emergency Medical Services district chief, was among others who testified in support of forming a task force. Fujioka said he was pleased that a focus of Tupola's resolution is shoring up police dispatchers. 'I've noticed that the Police Department has always been short of dispatchers, ' he said. 'They're the primary answering point for the County of Honolulu, which means every 911 call must go to the Police Department, and it's routed to either EMS or Ocean Safety.' He added that HPD's dispatchers 'are the only dispatchers who are nonuniformed personnel, which means they make the lowest wages of any dispatcher in the county, yet they do the most amount of work, answer the most amount of calls.' 'And I've seen times when they're on skeleton crew and when a dispatcher who's on the radio has to go on a break, another dispatcher has to manage two districts, which is very dangerous and stressful for the dispatchers, ' Fujioka said. Council member Esther Kia 'aina suggested increasing the task force's 90-day timeline to produce a written report to 180 days. 'People who are going to be part of this task force will have their own opinions, and you don't rush something, ' Kia 'aina said. 'You discuss it and ensure that out of the collective voices you will hopefully have a unified front to wean out what should be actionable items.' Tupola said she was agreeable to a verbal amendment to increase the timeline to 180 days, but said, 'It does not prohibit us from finishing it faster.' Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board Chair Philip Ganaban told the Star-Advertiser after the meeting that his board supports Tupola's Resolution 160. A lifelong Waianae resident, Ganaban said increasing police presence in the area is a good thing, but it won't solve all crimes that occur there, particularly gun-related violence involving youth and families. 'We need to really find ways to make things positive for these kids, ' he said, adding that the cost of living and a lack of youth-oriented programs along the Waianae Coast increase the challenges. 'So these kids can fall into the wrong crowd, and can get them things that they can't do the legal way—which comes with the guns.' 'Don't get me wrong, I would love to have more police, ' he added, 'but I think it's not going to prevent anything.' To promote prevention and education, Ganaban said he favors restarting Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., or the Scared Straight program where at-risk youth are exposed to jail or prison life. 'Those are good programs that are not in the schools anymore, and I don't know why, ' he said. 'That's one of those HPD things that they did have that actually really made a difference when it started at a young age with the kids.' Jeff Merz, the Waikiki Neighborhood Board's Subdistrict 1 vice chair, said he favored improvements to HPD's staffing but also recognized that crime in the island's prime tourist zone will still occur. 'Again, anything we can do to shed light on the issue is good, but I'd like to see some absolutes, or some things that come out of this that are actionable and that would need to be required to be taken by the city, ' Merz, a 23-year Waikiki resident, said of the proposed task force. 'If those are the recommendations that they have to implement, or try to make them so we can solve this issue, as opposed to coming up with a report and putting it on the shelf.' 'So I think if it's got some teeth to it, and the City Council and the mayor agree to implement the recommendations, then I think we have something to stand on there, ' he added. However, Merz noted recruiting for police officers in high-priced Oahu is difficult. 'We're not the only city suffering from a lack of police officers ; it's nationwide, ' he said. 'Possibly, we're not going to be able to fill all of those positions ; it's expensive in Hawaii, and it's just not an occupation that a lot of people want to pursue.' Merz said employing new technologies—including ground-based surveillance cameras and aerial drones—may be alternate ways for law enforcement to reduce crime in Waikiki and elsewhere on the island. TASK FORCE REQUIREMENTS The HPD staffing and retention task force, formed by Resolution 160, will be composed of the following nine members :—The Council chair, or the chair's designee—A representative from the mayor's office—The chief of police, or the chief's designee—A Honolulu Police Commission representative—A city Department of Human Resources representative—A State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers representative—A Hawaii Government Employees Association representative—A current HPD officer, to be appointed by the Council—A representative from another police department with success in reducing officer vacancies, also to be appointed by the Council. Once formed, Resolution 160 says the new task force should study the following issues :—Analyze HPD recruitment and retention challenges and identify the primary causes of vacancies.—Review and evaluate existing hiring and retention initiatives, including financial incentives.—Assess HPD's hiring standards to determine whether they are unnecessarily restrictive and preventing qualified applicants from being hired.—Develop a strategic plan with short-and long-term recommendations to reduce vacancies and improve officer retention.—Evaluate HPD's budget to ensure funding is directed toward staffing priorities.—Submit a report to the Council within 180 days of the adoption of the resolution, which provides the task force's analysis and recommendations, and provide a copy of the report to the Honolulu Police Commission to support its evaluation of the chief of police. Source : Resolution 160
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Drive with Aloha:' Honolulu raises driving awareness for summer months
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The summer months are right around the corner, and so are what are traditionally the most dangerous and deadly months on Honolulu roads. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, the Honolulu Police Department and other organizations raised awareness when it comes to the issue of impaired driving by declaring May 8 as 'Drive with Aloha Day' in Honolulu. Woman hospitalized in moped accident, HPD urges safe driving practices The ultimate goal — help teens and young adults make good decisions before getting behind the wheel, protect Hawaii's keiki and honor those we've lost. Officials said Oahu has seen more than double the number of traffic deaths this year compared to last year and an increase in speeding tickets. We approach this meeting today with the spirit of 'Drive with Aloha,' but also a deep concern. We hope that our message gets out there and we're going to ask a lot — not only from our young people, but everybody on the road this time of year. We don't want to lose anybody else to unnecessary motor vehicle fatality. Mayor Rick Blangiardi For some, 'Drive with Aloha' means to drive respectfully, courteously and with kindness.'We encourage people who don't feel like they're in the right mind or not in the right state to drive to pull over, take a breath and think more intentionally about being on the road,' said Councilmember Andria Tupola. 'A vehicle can turn into a weapon. We don't want that to happen.' And as graduation season nears, Honolulu Police Maj. James Slayter urges parents to have conversations with their teens to avoid making decisions while under the influence. 'You've worked so hard to get your diploma, your degree. You don't want to throw it away over one bad decision or one bad choice,' Maj. Slayter said. 'I know there's a saying '100 Deadliest Days.' I think we have an opportunity to make it the 100 safest days. It's going to take everyone working together.' Check out more news from around Hawaii After signing the proclamation, the Mayor, Honolulu police officers, City Councilmembers and others took to the streets to wave signs and share their message to 'Drive with Aloha.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Portion of Ulehawa Beach Park to be closed for two weeks
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A portion of Ulehawa Beach Park will be closed from 10 p.m. on May 9 to 5 a.m. on May 23 to allow for maintenance of the area, the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Parks and Recreation said. The closure is coordinated in conjunction with Councilmember Andria Tupola's volunteer cleanup event at the beach park on May 10 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Social Security numbers now available digitally The adjacent parking lot and routes to ocean access will remain open, but portions will be shut off from public access and no one may be in the closed area unless given explicit permission. Those interested in volunteering to clean up the park are asked to meet at the parking lot near the closure at 7:30 a.m. on May 10. DPR asks participants to wear closed-toe shoes, heavy-duty gloves, a hat and sunscreen. Registering ahead of time is strongly recommended by emailing Tupola's office at councildistrict1@ or by calling (808) 861-2208. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
