Mitigation Plan for Hawaii

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Hawaii Mitigation Plan

            It is the wish of every human being to have a peaceful and uninterrupted life throughout. However, this has not been the usual case since many problems face people daily. While human beings have caused a number of these problems, some of them occur naturally. In response to these challenges, human beings all over the world have always struggled to deal with them effectively. Many countries and organizations have established mitigation plans to address these conditions whenever they occur. Unfortunately, some of these measures are not effective, and this has compelled the world to come up with an improved approach. Hawaii, just like many other parts need a precise mitigation plan to address its challenges.

Demographic Profile of Hawaii

            The state of Hawaii covers an island which stretches for over 1500 miles which is equivalent to 2400 kilometers on the Pacific Ocean. Initially, the island was entirely occupied by the Hawaiians until it was invaded by Americans and other Europeans, who caused the number of the original occupants to drop dramatically. The state has an estimated population of about 1.4 million people, with a projected increment of 4.9% (Census.gov, 2018). It is also important to note that the state is composed of different races, that is, blacks, whites, Asians, Native Americans and native Hawaiian in unbalanced proportions.

Fragile Nature of Hawaii

Hawaii is one of the critical states in the United States of America. The country is entirely composed of islands, in what geography refers to as Oceania. The unique characteristics of its location imply that Hawaii is at very high risk of facing challenges resulting from the fragile environment of the vast Pacific Ocean. Furthermore, Hawaii is faced with problems arising from the active volcanic eruptions and marine debris from the sea. While marine debris results from the introduction of waste products like plastics to the environment before them eventually find their way into the sea, volcanic eruptions and seasonal floods, tropical tsunami, earthquake, and tsunami are mainly caused by natural forces.

The scope of Planning for Mitigation

            Even though some measures have been put in place to address these challenges, the state of Hawaii is still at an increased risk of experiencing losses and destruction of properties and lives. The plan seeks to involve every member of the community by educating them on the importance of practicing collective responsibilities. The government, local authorities, citizens, environmental management bodies and other governmental and non-governmental organizations have specific roles to play in this plan. The two central governments are supposed to formulate and implement policies to the latter. Furthermore, the governments are supposed to join hands with other well-wishers in financing the plan. Some of the resources required for creating public awareness on the needs of practicing collective responsibilities include advertising media and the public address system. 

            Citizens should play a pivotal role in the plan since the challenges affect them directly. The roles of citizens would include adherence to the formulated policies, funding the project where necessary, practicing environmental conservation and by ensuring that they are always alert to notice any advancing occurrence like storms and floods. Proper disposal of wastes would significantly reduce surges due to blockage of the water channel and marine debris. Environmental management agencies are also key players in this mitigation plan. Some of these roles include the continuous creation of public awareness, educating people on how to prepare to face the everyday challenges and dealing with citizens who fail to observe the set requirements. The agencies should also be involved in continuous research to come up with better and reliable methods of disaster manager which is caused by earthquakes, tsunami, tropical storms and volcanic eruptions. The plan aims at empowering community programs that aim at achieving a safe environment with little or no hazard resulting from either human-made or natural forces.

Previous and Existing Mitigation plans

            As at now, some mitigation plans are already in place. These plans include the Red Cross organization. Unfortunately, the existing arrangements are faced with a myriad of challenges. Notably, their disadvantages exceed the advantages, which make them ineffective to address the issues affecting Hawaii.

Weaknesses Facing the Existing Mitigation Plan

            The Red Cross relies on donations from well-wishers. However, the organization came under intense criticisms from a section of citizens who had a strong feeling that the organization was reluctant in distributing the donations. A video indicating how contributions were lying idle while victims of environmental hazards were suffering went viral and it attracted about 60,000 views for a brief period (Scheuring, 2018). The act significantly affected the morale of the workers, willingness of donators and the trusts of citizens towards it.

            The existing mitigation measures are reactive and not preventive. The Red Cross deals with the common hazards by responding to the hazards like floods, storm, and an earthquake. This approach implies that by the time the organizations arrive at the scene of the disaster, a lot of people and property would have already been destroyed.

The strength of the existing plan

Currently, the state relies on Red Cross organization. Both local and foreign donators collectively fund the organization. Remarkably, the organization has played an instrumental role in the mitigation of several challenges that face Hawaii. The organization has a well-coordinated system which addresses the problems arising after the occurrence of natural and artificial calamities such as earthquakes and volcanic eruption. Using this approach, the Red Cross collects and distributes foods, clothes and other needs to the affected people.

Conclusion

            Disasters have become part and parcel of the life of human beings in different parts of the world. The condition has necessitated the need of coming up with more competent approaches to address these issues. The proposed mitigation plan aims at providing realistic solutions to the challenges that are facing the existing programs. Arguably, community participation would enable the society of Hawaii to deal with these problems in a preventive and reactive approach, thus saving lives and properties.

References

Census.gov. (2018). Quick Facts: Hawaii. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/hi/PST045217

Scheuring, I. (2018). Red Cross Responds to Complaints over Management of big Island Donations. Retrieved from http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/clip/14339486/red-cross-responds-to-complaints-over-management-of-big-island-donations