Updated at 5:12 p.m., Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Lawmakers want better information during blackouts
Advertiser Staff
State lawmakers today questioned Hawaiian Electric Co. executives about their efforts to communicate to the public during the Oct. 15 blackout.During a joint legislative briefing, HECO executives said their efforts during the power failure to inform the public about how electricity was being restored were hampered by congested phone lines.
The Senate Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee and the House Consumer Protection & Commerce and Public Safety & Military Affairs committees held informational briefings today and yesterday on the outage and its aftermath.
Rep. Robert Herkes, chairman of the House Consumer Protection Committee, said he plans to introduce legislation creating a disaster preparedness commission.
Such a commission, which would be composed of engineers and scientists, would establish policy for the state in natural disasters, and would work closely with civil defense agencies, said Herkes (D, Puna-Ka'u-South Kona-North Kona).
