State agencies and private media outlets must improve the flow of information to the public during emergencies like the earthquakes that shook Hawai'i early Sunday morning, Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday as criticism about communication delays and other problems mounted.

Lingle called for a thorough assessment of radio and television broadcasting capabilities and barriers during emergencies, and the state's ability to provide accurate information quickly.

She announced the formation of a "comprehensive communications review committee" that would include managers and publishers of radio, television and print outlets, along with state officials, and recommend improvements within 60 days.

Lingle also said the state would consider building additional emergency power capabilities into airports that were forced to suspend operations because of the massive blackout that followed the quakes.

She said backup generators could be incorporated into a $2.5 billion modernization that's planned for Honolulu International Airport. But the airlines that pay landing fees to use the facility will be consulted before any decision is made, she said.

Department of Transportation Director Rod Haraga said the airports have some emergency power now, but it's only enough to facilitate evacuations.

State and county civil defense agencies are also planning routine post-disaster performance assessments.

Lingle said the new communications panel will review changes in the broadcasting industry — such as an increased reliance on preprogrammed "canned" material rather than live announcers — and the lack of backup electrical power at most stations.

The need to provide emergency information in languages other than English was also a big concern, she added.

Lingle named Lenny Klompus, her senior communications adviser, to head the panel. Klompus is officially on leave from his state job and oversees communications for Lingle's re-election campaign committee. Klompus said he would continue that role and would serve on the media review panel as a volunteer.

Nearly all radio stations on O'ahu, the Big Island and Maui were temporarily knocked off the air by Sunday's blackout.

LONG DELAY

As confusion and concern about the extent of the damage grew, KSSK radio's twin AM and FM stations — the only ones most listeners could tune into — continued to broadcast a prerecorded discussion of a ballot proposal for more than a half-hour.

KSSK AM, designated as an emergency broadcast station for O'ahu, and its FM sister cut into the program for a brief announcement about the emergency within 15 minutes of the second quake, but no additional information was provided until live announcers took over approximately 30 minutes after that.

The stations, and a third owned by the same company, soon began a live broadcast of phone calls from state officials, public utility representatives and random listeners who provided information about topics ranging from quake damage to a huli huli chicken sale.

Information about grocery stores and gas stations that remained open was clearly appreciated by listeners, as was any news about power being restored to various locations.

Callers also made ad hoc emergency announcements in Vietnamese, Chinese and other languages, though the stations could not tell specifically what was being said, and were not always clear about who was speaking.

Lingle noted that many Hawai'i residents and visitors do not speak English, and said she hopes that people who speak other languages can be certified and tapped to provide official emergency information in the future.

Lingle stopped short of saying the flow of emergency information had been unacceptable, and she did not single out any agency or official for blame. But she stressed the need for improvement, clearly sensing that many Hawai'i residents were not satisfied.

"I think we could have done a lot better," Lingle said.

GENERATOR BACKUP

KSSK and five other O'ahu radio stations are owned by the Hawai'i branch of Clear Channel Communications. The two KSSK stations and KUCD FM were able to broadcast because they are equipped with generators, said Chuck Cotton, vice president and general manager of Clear Channel Hawaii.

The company takes its responsibility to inform the public very seriously, and its employees did a great job of quickly scrambling to work in the emergency, Cotton said.

"I was very proud of the job that our staff did on Sunday, but there's always room for improvement," he said.

The Federal Communications Commission does not require that radio stations always be staffed, but Clear Channel Hawaii always has at least one person present, he said.

One worker, known as a "board operator," had been on duty at KSSK when the quakes hit, and no live programming had been scheduled until 11 a.m. But at least six other workers made it to the station in less than an hour, and others arrived soon after, Cotton said.

He said the stations were careful to screen random callers and ensure that fear and panic was not spread by reckless or inflammatory statements.

Cotton said he did not want to criticize or judge the state's performance in providing emergency information.

"It could have been the best job they could have possibly ever done, but I have no way of knowing, because I don't know when they got the information or what their staffing was," he said. "On Sunday mornings, there are not too many state agencies that are staffed up to the maximum."

Cotton called Lingle's plan for a communications committee an excellent idea, and said he would be happy to participate.

NO OFFICIAL INFORMATION

Kimo Akane, programming consultant for Cox Radio Hawai'i, which own's KRTR FM, the state's primary FM emergency radio station for O'ahu, said something needs to be done to create better communications for the public.

Because it has backup generators, the station was able to remain on the air Sunday despite the massive power outage.

But it lacked official information, Akane said.

"There was a major failure somewhere," he said of events Sunday. "Either the state wasn't talking to the county or the county wasn't talking to the state. But at 8 a.m., everyone knew what had happened but no one officially was telling us what happened. We never got it from the state or city. You'd think that at least by 8 a.m. they would send something out telling us what was going on."

Akane said the governor's committee is a good idea, but "the problem is her people."

CALLS NOT RETURNED

Calls made to state Civil Defense were not returned until 11 a.m., he said. Calls made to the governor and lieutenant governor were not returned, he said.

And all that was made more frustrating by the fact that Akane could hear radio rival KSSK interviewing state officials.

"They have to activate the system and give everyone the same message," he said. "For some reason, that never happened."

Meanwhile, several Big Island Democrats called for a complete review of the state's disaster-preparedness system and more long-range planning.

Rep. Cindy Evans, D-7th (N. Kona, S. Kohala), said she was very concerned about the state's emergency broadcasting capabilities.

"It's very important that people receive official and accurate information during a disaster," she said. "I think KSSK did a tremendous job, and our civil defense team was responsive, but much of the information going out came from callers, not from official sources, and as a result misinformation was spread."

Rep. Bob Herkes, D-5th (Ka'u, S. Kona) complained that "Much of what the public endured was unacceptable and can be avoided in the future."

MEDICAL CARE

Rep. Josh Green, an emergency room physician who was on duty at Ka'u Hospital Sunday morning, said more must be done to ensure medical care is available in emergencies.

"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," said Green, D-6th (Kailua, Keauhou).

He noted that patients were evacuated from Kona Community Hospital and other healthcare facilities because of concerns about the structural conditions of the buildings.

"During a disaster, hospitals should be places where people know they can come for emergency treatment," he said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.