The group includes Representatives Robert Herkes (District 5 — Puna, Kau, South Kona, and North Kona), Josh Green (District 6 — North Kona, Keauhou, Kailua-Kona, Honokohau) and Cindy Evans (District 7 — North Kona, South Kona). The most extensive earthquake-related damages occurred in these districts.

"We need to prepare, not react," said Herkes, pointing to a bill passed by the House of Representatives but not by the entire Legislature during the during its last session. The bill called for the Department of Defense to conduct a study of the structural integrity of hospitals and nursing homes in Hawai'i.

Green, an emergency room physician, was on duty Sunday morning at Kau Hospital when two earthquakes rattled the Big Island. "This experience has confirmed that Hawai'i is indeed not yet prepared for disaster, and that the safety of our people in future events is a serious concern," he said.

Noting that patients were evacuated from Kona Community Hospital and other health care facilities because of unstable structural conditions in various buildings, Green said, "During a disaster, hospitals should be places where people know they can come for emergency treatment. Among the needed healthcare-related upgrades, Green said, "We must great augment our ability to life-flight critically injured patients to O'ahu."

The lawmakers also questioned the unreliability to electrical power and statewide communication systems. The general public had no access to radio-broadcasted information from official sources other than one commercial radio station.