Hawai'i would have to spend $35 million to upgrade its emergency shelters, mostly at the state's public schools, to prepare for a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, a Civil Defense official told state lawmakers yesterday.

If a catastrophic storm were to hit the Islands, there would not be enough shelter space for an estimated 124,000 people and, in the months that follow, as many as 45,000 people would be without temporary homes. There also are no specific plans to care for the elderly, the sick or the disabled, who, as the events in New Orleans have shown since Katrina, could be the most vulnerable in an emergency.

"That's a work in progress," said Ed Teixeira, the vice director of Civil Defense.

State House and Senate lawmakers held a briefing yesterday to get an overview of the state's storm detection and warning system after watching the staggering damage to the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Katrina. At a briefing today, they will hear from officials about plans for evacuation and the readiness of police and firefighters.

Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the director of Civil Defense, and Teixeira said Hawai'i has worked well to coordinate its disaster plan among counties, the military and other federal agencies. But they cautioned that preparation must be constant because hurricanes are a fact of life in the Islands.

"Really, our goal is not to lose one life if we do this right," Teixeira said. "Not one life."

Several lawmakers said they were impressed by the presentation and by the confidence of Lee, Teixeira and Jim Weyman, director of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Some said they wanted to make sure that officials on the Islands had developed a clear chain of command and were cooperating to avoid the kind of finger-pointing by authorities on the Mainland after Katrina.

"It's pretty obvious that these guys are on it," said state Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe). "The important thing is to get everybody at every level together."

Civil Defense officials explained plans to move the estimated 171,000 visitors that are here daily to safety or off island while using public schools, the Hawai'i Convention Center and other facilities to shelter locals who have fled their homes. Counties have been warned to be ready to survive without outside help for as long as two days, while the state expects to wait two to four days before an "air bridge" of assistance arrives from the Mainland.

Teixeira said the state's goal has been to provide emergency shelter space for 462,000 people — and is about 124,000 spaces short today — but told lawmakers they should perhaps increase that goal to sheltering 1 million people over the next two decades. He said it would cost $35 million to upgrade emergency shelters.

Teixeira also suggested the state invest more money in its siren warning system, increase the authorization in the state's major disaster fund from $1 million a year to between $2 million and $4 million a year, and require all new development projects to include siren warnings and emergency shelters. The disaster fund, which was used during emergencies such as the Manoa flood last October, is separate from the state's Hurricane Relief Fund.

He also said lawmakers could provide emergency assistance money so the state would not have to rely as much on the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the American Red Cross.

Lee said the state will sign an agreement with Gulf Coast states so members of the Hawai'i National Guard can help with Katrina relief. He also asked lawmakers to agree next session to join the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which provides mutual aid between states.

State Rep. Ken Ito, D-48th (Kane'ohe), chairman of the House Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee, said lawmakers likely would support joining the compact and increasing state spending to prepare for a hurricane.

Lawmakers and Gov. Linda Lingle have been discussing how to spend part of a state budget surplus, and after the lessons of Katrina, preparing for a hurricane likely will be added to a list that includes tax relief, affordable housing and public education.

"This is an island state. We're isolated. To me, it compounds our problems," Ito said. "But this is about public safety. And public safety is number one."

State Sen. Gary Hooser, D-7th (Kaua'i, Ni'ihau), lost his home during Hurricane 'Iniki in 1992 and lived with family members for a year. He said he worries about what might happen to those without friends and family to lean on after a disaster. "The magnitude of impact of a hurricane like 'Iniki or Katrina on O'ahu would be tremendous," Hooser said.

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.