HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	269
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

URGING THE GOVERNOR TO DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY REGARDING THE CRITICAL CONDITION OF OAHU'S TRAFFIC, AND REQUESTING THE ASSISTANCE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ASSISTING ACTION TO RESOLVE THE PRESENT CRISIS.

     WHEREAS, as evidenced by the ancient saying of "While people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly" our human history has demonstrated time and time again that improper planning, poor protocols, defective systems, a failure of imagination and an inability for persons in positions of leadership and key responsibilities to adapt to change or recognize limitations has resulted in devastating disasters and often horrific moments in human history; and

     WHEREAS, unforeseen natural disasters and actions by hostile individuals or entities often expose or exploit our weaknesses in the absolute worst way possible, such as the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the City of New Orleans, or the 2006 Hawaii Earthquake, all of which were disasters whose detrimental effects could have been mitigated or avoided altogether if preventative measures had been taken; and

     WHEREAS, similarly, the present lack of sufficient transportation infrastructure on the Island of Oahu, State of Hawaii, is overwhelmingly obvious by the daily excesses of traffic congestion in which thousands of vehicles are massed on our roads and freeways, and likewise painfully apparent by the total shutdown of transportation and many critical island functions during events – either natural or man-influenced - that damage our roadways or obstruct them, often paralyzing whole regions and large populations for hours; and

     WHEREAS, in times of natural disasters and enemy action, not only is regularly functioning infrastructure critical, but redundant and back-up infrastructure is extremely necessary so as to mitigate the effects of destruction to existing assets; and

     WHEREAS, as painfully demonstrated by the experience of December 7, 1941, the State of Hawaii is America's lead battleground for conflicts in the Pacific Ocean, making the Hawaiian Islands a bastion of freedom that must constantly be guarded with a higher level of security and preparedness than the other contiguous states of the Union; and

     WHEREAS, alternative roads presently do not exist capable of meeting an emergency demand of large numbers of military or rescue vehicles amidst enemy action or large scale disaster, and our current roads are overly burdened, with a level of service "F" regarding peacetime traffic flow on H-1; and

     WHEREAS, communities such as Ewa which are located in areas already difficult to access during times of peak traffic, may suffer immensely in the event of disaster or enemy action, depriving them of critical access to first responders or evacuation capability; and

     WHEREAS, the precedent to declare a state of emergency based on the pall of presently intolerable situations was evidenced as recently as April 11, 2007 when Governor Linda Lingle declared a state of emergency regarding the island of Kauai's homeless population; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that in light of these rare and unusual threats which face our Islands, that this Body urges the recognition from the Governor that a state of emergency exists regarding the critical condition of Oahu's traffic, and likewise requests the Federal government to immediately assist to resolve the present crisis before such disasters and enemy attacks can occur; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that duly certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Vice President of the United States of America, and the President of the United States of America.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Declaration of Emergency; Transportation Crisis