Disaster Preparedness at Its Best!
On September 18, Hale Ho’ola Hamakua sprung into disaster preparedness mode when students at Honokaa Elementary and Honokaa High & Intermediate were sent home due to a strong chemical odor. About 40 students and 10 adults from the school who reported feeling symptoms of nausea, dizziness, headache and respiratory problems were transported to HHH and North Hawaii Community Hospital to be assessed and treated. Members of the Hospital Emergency Response Team (HERT), based at Hilo Benioff Medical Center, rushed out to Honoka’a to assist in setting up the decontamination tent and receiving patients. HHH opened up an Incident Command Center and sprung into action with staff members from all departments taking on various roles to ensure an organized process.