CIVIL DEFENSE SLOW IN GIVING OUT INFORMATION

I see ads on local TV from time to time advising local residents to tune in to the Civil Defense radio station in case of an emergency like an earthquake. What Civil Defense radio station?

There is no listing of a Civil Defense radio station in the front of the phone book, nor is there one listed on the O'ahu Civil Defense Agency Web page. I spent a frantic 50 minutes this past Sunday morning trying to find a Civil Defense broadcast on my portable radio. Like many other people on O'ahu, I was anxious to know what was happening as a result of the earthquake. Was there a tsunami coming? Was there anything I needed to do to protect myself and my family? There should have been information available from O'ahu Civil Defense within minutes of the earthquake, and it should have been broadcast promptly.

NEWS, STATUS UPDATES INADEQUATE ON SUNDAY

I can't believe all the self-congratulatory messages flowing out of the electronic and print media telling us what a wonderful job everyone did in handling Sunday's earthquake crisis and accompanying islandwide blackout.

Why wasn't the State Civil Defense radio broadcast network activated immediately to provide official, up-to-date, comprehensive and continuous coverage of the situation at hand? The initial 45-minute radio delay to even acknowledge that an unusual event had occurred was simply woefully inadequate and is unacceptable. Furthermore, most of what followed was hardly worthy of air time.

And why did it take Hawaiian Electric Co. nearly five hours to make its first public "on air" comment on the basic who, what, when, where and why of the blackout? Furthermore, why didn't HECO stay on the air with frequent status updates to its customers as it was bringing its system back on line? Surely, we deserved a better response.

If this had been a real disaster on O'ahu rather than — thankfully — a significant annoyance, it would have been chaos and unrelenting confusion with many, many lives at stake.

Clearly, there is a need to do a thorough assessment to correct these serious errors and omissions so that we can be better prepared for the next such event.

WHY COULDN'T SOME POWER BE MAINTAINED?

A few fairly obvious questions for Hawaiian Electric Co. regarding Sunday's shutdown of the entire O'ahu power grid:

Why did only two of 13 electrical generators on O'ahu shut down immediately when the earthquake struck shortly after 7 a.m.? Were the other 11 generators not as vulnerable to damage as the two that shut down?

Given that 11 of the 13 O'ahu generators did continue to operate after the earthquake, could those remaining 11 not have carried at least some part of the light, Sunday morning O'ahu load without shutting down the entire island?

Do I sense a fundamental system design flaw here? Do I sense incompetence somewhere in all of this?

POWER SYSTEMS TAKE SOME TIME TO RESTART

The political outrage about the extended power outages on O'ahu is unsettling. I wish politicians would focus on things like economic development, crime, taxes, etc., instead of the most current hot-button subject that might get them more votes in an election year.

If these politicians bothered to get any education on the subject, they would know the technologies used in power distribution and power plants are fairly old, and when a large disruption occurs, it can take hours or even days to restart the system.

This probably could have been avoided if upgrades to our power grid were to occur, but every time HECO wants to upgrade the network and raise prices these same politicians are nowhere to be found.

There is no such thing as a free lunch!

HECO WAS RIGHT TO SHUT DOWN POWER GRID

I keep hearing about how mad everyone is at Hawaiian Electric Co. Well, I feel that HECO did the right thing. I would rather have a day or so without electricity than weeks without it because of extensive repairs.

People are just looking for someone to blame, and HECO is the current scapegoat. If anything, it is the state's fault for failing to have an emergency plan.

A DAY WITHOUT POWER WAS A DAY OF BLESSINGS

When asked if I see the glass as half-full or half-empty, I usually respond "half-full."

However, I must confess, after 12 hours without electricity, I was getting frustrated. Preparing dinner with the assistance of the halogen lamp, I listened to my children reminisce about their summer camping trips. Though I was beginning to feel inconvenienced by the power outage, my children were excited about the adventure they faced as the house grew dimmer. My 9-year old son's comment hit me like an aftershock, "Today was more like a blessing," he said. "It was a day without television, video games, computer and radio," he continued, "We spent more time with our family and learned to live a simple life." I should have smiled and supported his insight, but at that moment I was too disappointed about missing my favorite television shows.

A few hours later, I sat on my bed while candles lit my room. My husband and I quietly sat on our bed; our Kane'ohe neighborhood was unusually peaceful. Then, instead of watching television like we usually would, we enjoyed a great conversation.

By the end of the night, I realized that my son was absolutely right — Sunday was a blessing.

SUNDAY'S SILVER LINING — TIME TO READ A BOOK

What did I do during the power outage?

Well, after doing as many chores as I could (since I couldn't watch football), I sailed from Bora Bora on a canoe with a king named Tamatoa and rode through storms, suffered through dry spells, and went on a quest looking for a new land. I learned about the stars and their relationship to our position on the sea and how the ancient navigators would look at the reflection of a certain star in a coconut shell filled with water at night to get his bearings. After a couple of months at sea, we discovered Havaiki, or what is known now as Hawai'i, and populated it with pigs and dogs and taro and coconut trees and, eventually, children.

When that voyage was complete, I fast forwarded a thousand years and sailed on a frigate that carried 22 missionaries on a journey to the far-off islands of Hawai'i. We left Massachusetts, traveled south around South America and the Cape. The ocean was so rough around the Cape that the ship couldn't make it the first time and had to retreat back to calmer waters, then try again. We were in the process of making another attempt at going around the Cape when the electricity came back on.

That's when I put the book down (I had been reading by flashlight at that point), turned on the TV and looked for the news.

I don't know when I'm going to pick up that book again. By the way, it was "Hawaii" by James Michener. Maybe the next time the electricity goes out. Until then, thanks, HECO, for the fascinating trip. Guess there's a silver lining in every cloud, yeah?

IT'S FORTUNATE THERE WEREN'T BAD ACCIDENTS

We are fortunate that there were no serious accidents on Sunday, because there were many idiots on the road without headlights and racing through intersections.

KSSK is supposed to be the official news station. I suggest Perry and Price limit on-air callers to those calling in with official information or acting in an official capacity. If they believe therapy is necessary, they should set up separate phone lines and hire a qualified therapist.

Finally, it is only a few days since the earthquake and already the politicians are grandstanding with their demands for information on the blackout. Guys, there was an earthquake.

LOCAL, AIRPORT OFFICIALS NOT PREPARED FOR CRISIS

My family and I are from California. We were ending our vacation in the Waikiki Beach area getting ready to enter an elevator when the quake struck.

At 9 a.m., we arrived at Hono-lulu International Airport, and what I saw was unacceptable.

People were increasingly becoming frustrated because the airport was unable to provide drinking water or food. TSA people were openly walking around looking at the crowd as they ate their snacks and drank bottled water. This was insulting to me. However, ATA officials did provide drinking water for their customers.

Subsequently, an airport vendor began to sell refreshments, and it reflected price gouging.

Restrooms were overflowing and in disgusting condition. Portable restrooms were not brought in.

This tells me airport and local government authorities were not prepared.

HONOLULU AIRPORT NEEDS BACKUP POWER

The state of Hawai'i — the airports division in particular — should be held negligent for not having backup power equipment to run the airport when commercial power fails.

We are a destination airport and the primary facility for moving people interisland and beyond. We do not have the luxury of getting on a bus or train and going to Kona, Maui or Kaua'i. Neither do we have commuting alternatives that could replace our one and only airport on O'ahu.

THEBUS DRIVERS LAUDED FOR PROFESSIONALISM

Coming back to Honolulu from Kane'ohe on Sunday after dark on the Route 56 bus, our driver drove with great care and caution. The pavement was wet and the usual landmarks were dark.

I hope that one of your reporters will do a story on how these truly professional drivers with TheBus handled the challenges of the day.

TREASURE FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN A DISASTER

The earthquake taught us the world is unpredictable. In the midst of uncertainty, we find a more valuable lesson, and that is to treasure what really is important to us. When a natural disaster hits, we really need to think about the family, friends and people around us.

For it is only people that really matter in a temporal world. It is in these times that we need to look out for others.