The September 11th attack | America strikes back
State's tight security taken up a notch
By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i government officials took extra precautions yesterday following U.S. military action in Afghanistan, from activating an emergency operations center to placing police on their highest alert level.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
But for the most part, and for most people, life went on as usual.
Hawai'i National Guard troops stand watch as passengers are electronically scanned and then patted down.
Gov. Ben Cayetano yesterday embarked on a trip to Japan to encourage more visitors to Hawai'i following a severe dropoff of tourism following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono will serve as acting governor while he is away.
"It is important for every American to support President Bush as our country begins taking military action today against terrorism," Cayetano said in a written statement.
Cayetano is on a weeklong publicity mission with two former governors, two mayors and several business leaders to gain the confidence of Japanese tourists and leaders.
"The delegation I am leading to Japan will proceed on to meet with government officials there," he said. "In light of what is the first military action, we must continue our efforts to revive our economy to provide some stability for the people of our state."
No major changes
Chris Sykes • Special to The Honolulu Advertiser
State transportation spokeswoman Marilyn Kali said state airports were already at heightened alert and no major security changes were made yesterday.
Long lines formed yesterday at Kahului Airport's departure gates because of heightened security measures taken following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Passengers had to wait up to 90 minutes at ticket counters and then another hour at airport checkpoints.
The Hawai'i National Guard was stationed at the Honolulu International Airport yesterday as part of an order last week by President Bush to boost security until federal measures are in place within six months.
Troops will be stationed at the Neighbor Island airports beginning Thursday after they complete airport security training.
Airport security continued to search all compartments of parked motor vehicles, including under the hood and trunk.
There were no canceled flights or additional flight bans related to the U.S. military action.
Aside from a morning rush for flights and the crowds it generated, lines at the Honolulu airport passenger security checkpoints moved briskly yesterday. Many commercial airliners already had cut back on flights following the Sept. 11 attack.
Kahului Airport lines long
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Lines were long at Kahului Airport yesterday morning. Passengers waited in 200-person-long lines at the ticket counters for up to 90 minutes.
Honolulu International Airport security personnel continued to check all vehicle compartments, including under the hood and in trunks, in addition to asking for picture identification from motorists.
It took another hour to get past the Kahului airport checkpoints, where security searched for contraband and examined luggage to detect any explosive material.
Guy Randolph, of North Richland Hills, Texas, said he feels somewhat safer flying today than following the Sept. 11 attacks. Randolph and his wife, Theresa, were checking in for an American Airlines flight heading home yesterday from Honolulu.
Randolph's employer, American Airlines, laid him off from his customer services manager position right before the couple vacationed in Hawai'i last week.
Randolph estimated that the airlines are running about 50 to 60 percent of their normal operations.
"My biggest fear is if the terrorists retaliate somewhere in the U.S.," he said. "Then people are really not going to fly."
The Coast Guard continued yesterday on a heightened state of alert imposed since Sept. 11, boarding vessels and maintaining increased security zones around cruise ships, certain moorings and state ports and harbors, said Seaman Andrew Kendrick of the Coast Guard's public affairs office in Honolulu.
On Friday, the Coast Guard announced it would require most ships entering U.S. ports to provide 96 hours advance notice instead of the usual 24 hours notice to local Coast Guard stations. The increased time was necessary to allow Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies to crew, passenger and cargo logs.
Emergency measures taken
Mayor Jeremy Harris yesterday activated the O'ahu Emergency Operation Center at Civil Defense headquarters in Honolulu, but urged residents to go on with their everyday lives.
"There is no hint of planned terrorism against Honolulu or Hawai'i, but we decided to take a cautious approach and put all of our emergency services on alert," Harris said.
Harris said he was notified yesterday by FBI officials to put Honolulu police on the highest state of alert against any act of terrorism or violence.
Harris said the city has increased security at certain key locations that would be susceptible to a terrorist attack, but would not disclose those sites.
FBI officials said they had no specific threats, but U.S. intelligence officials had been warning of a high likelihood of retaliation by terrorists after the United States took its first military action.
Acting O'ahu Civil Defense administrator Paul Takamiya said 300 of his volunteers were notified yesterday to be prepared in the event of a local emergency. State-level and Neighbor Island civil defense programs were not activated as of yesterday evening.
Other events around the islands went ahead as scheduled yesterday.
The Bank of Hawaii Hinano Tahiti Moloka'i Hoe took place early yesterday morning, less than an hour after the first reports of the U.S. military action began trickling in.
The final round of the Turtle Bay Championship also began as scheduled on the North Shore. And the first of two Los Angeles Lakers exhibition games here was held last night.
Ronald Kim of Kapolei said he was relieved the United States retaliated against the terrorists, but said the military actions didn't discourage him from taking his family to the Children and Youth Day event at the state Capitol yesterday, which drew large crowds.
"I think everyone is getting over the initial shock of what happened Sept. 11 and trying to get on with their lives," Kim said. "If we let the terrorists deter us from doing what we normally do, they would have won."
Staff writers Tanya Bricking and Karen Blakeman contributed to this report.
