The recent Maui fires have increased the importance of having a plan in place on every island to guide the recovery process after a natural disaster.
Oʻahu’s plan is currently in the works. Matt Gonser, the city’s chief sustainability officer, is asking residents to share their stories of how they’ve been impacted by recent natural disasters via an online survey.
The information will help inform and shape the development of Oʻahu’s recovery plan. \
"We're not immune to any of this by any way, shape, or form. In the last 10 years, we've had 11 different disaster declarations across the state. And that also includes the COVID pandemic, which really is a significant and ongoing health and economic crisis for so many," Gonser explained.
He said that while a few of those disasters were on Oʻahu, such as the 2021 emergency flooding on the North Shore, the island's residents are fortunate enough to have not had anything as extreme as the recent Maui fires.
This time allows residents the chance to begin preparedness frameworks to identify the gaps that local government may need to fill, he said.
"We have to learn how to play the game because it's likely that we'll be confronted with these challenges, potentially increasingly into the future. So we want to take stock, we want to hear from community where at least a little bit fortunate here on Oʻahu, where even though we've had disaster declarations, they've been somewhat localized," Gonser said.
He added that it is highly unlikely any kind of pre-disaster recovery plan can put a "pin on the map and say, 'This is what the rebuild will look like,'" but it can allow residents to engage in deep community discussions.
"Slowing down and recognizing and understanding the kinds of questions that are being explored around the potential for environmental restoration for different kinds of communities, while still ensuring that people are restored in some respect," he said.
The deadline to share an Oʻahu natural disaster story is Tuesday, Sept. 12. Click here for the survey.
