KAILUA NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 31

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PSPHCD SUBCOMMITTEE
Community Point of Distribution Plan for Kailua
MEETING AGENDA
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
6:00 to 8:00 pm
In-person at the Mid-Pacific Country Club General Manager’s Office, 266 Ka’elepulu Drive, Kailua
NOTE: Mahalo to Ron Haas for hosting us. A link with directions to the MidPacific Country Club is provided: https://maps.app.goo.gl/QHotiftVzRexCgEd9

Chair: David Laeha, Vice Chair: Clem Jung; KNB Member: Bill Hicks; Community Members: Andy Bates, Jackie Freedland, Ron Haas, Suzie Jannuzzi, Glenn Kaauwai, Claudine Tomasa, and Kirsten Turner, and C&C Dept. of Emergency Management representative.

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Minutes

3. Announcements
a. The annual Kailua Emergency Preparedness Fair will be held at the Kailua Town Center, 609 Kailua Road (near the Ulta Beauty Store), on Saturday September 12, 2026, from 9:00 am until noon.

4. Resident and Community Concerns

5. UPDATE/REPORT: Hurricane Shelters in Kailua
a. Kalaheo High School (Retrofit cafeteria and/or gymnasium)
b. Identify potential alternate sites to serve as hurricane shelters
c. Utilize school classrooms situated within reinforced buildings.
d. Response from HIEMA.

6. UPDATE/REPORT: Kailua Community Points of Distribution (CPOD)
a. Prepositioned Food Containers at Christ Church Uniting site
(1) Identify an NGO or community organization to manage food distribution
b. Proposed sites to serve as Community Point of Distribution (CPOD)
(1) Central Union Church Windward and Aikahi Park Shopping Center
(2) Daybreak Church and Kailua Y.M.C.A.
(3) Kailua District Park selected by DEM to serve as a CPOD site.
(4) Mid-Pacific Country Club selected by DEM to serve as a CPOD site.
c. Plan/Schedule meeting with Landowners who agreed to serve as a CPOD site – coordinate with DEM to have a representative present at the meeting.

7. UPDATE/REPORT: Wildfire Management and Protective Planning
a. Maintain ongoing collaboration with the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization and Councilmember Kia’aina.

8. Tabletop Exercise for Disaster Coordination/Response
a. Plans for future community Tabletop Exercise?

9. Next PSPHCD Disaster Preparedness Meeting

10. Adjournment

Kailua Disaster Preparedness PHPSCD Subcommittee
May 2026 Meeting Report
Chair, David Laeha; Vice Chair, Clem Jung

1. A subcommittee meeting was held in-person on May 13, 2026, chaired by David Laeha and attended by subcommittee members Andy Bates, Ron Haas, Bill Hicks, Clem Jung, Claudine Tomasa, and Councilmember Esther Kia’aina.

2. Announcements: Kailua Alert & Prepared (KAP) https://www.kailuaalertprepared.org/about Clem Jung informed the subcommittee about two grant applications submitted by KAP this year. Currently KAP is
waiting on information of grant approval. A formal announcement will be provided. Meanwhile, KAP continues its mission of helping Kailua residents prepare for all-hazard events and disaster preparedness, supporting the Kailua Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) throughout the response and recovery phases of a disaster..

3. Update/report Hurricane Shelters in Kailua:
a. Kalaheo High School (Retrofit cafeteria and/or gymnasium): Update from Rep. Mike Lee: Retrofitting for the school remains in the Planning & Design (P&D) phase. Once P&D is finalized, a request for further funding will be submitted to complete the project. This year our elected officials will continue to support local school’s restrooms and electrical infrastructure.
b. Hurricane Shelters: Alternate Site Identification: The subcommittee is exploring the use of school classrooms within secured structures to serve as additional hurricane refuge areas. Discussion:The subcommittee evaluated the practicality of using Department of Education (DOE) classrooms for sheltering purposes. Because both the DOE and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HIEMA) are state-level entities, the group will arrange official consultations with HIEMA to address this matter.
c. Residential Shelter-in-Place: Developing domestic safe rooms. Discussion: The 2026 Strong El Niño cycle is anticipated to impact the Hawaiian Islands, resulting in increased risks of hurricanes, extreme temperatures, and potential droughts. Given the minimal steps taken by elected representatives to advocate for or implement mitigation strategies, it is recommended that the aforementioned be addressed with elected officials regarding their strategies for constituent disaster readiness: Inquire about specific plans for ensuring community preparedness in the event of a disaster.

4. Update/report Kailua Community Points of Distribution (CPOD):
a. Prepositioned Food Containers at Christ Church Uniting (CCU). Andy Bates reported that a 40-foot insulated container is purchased and slated for arrival by July 1, 2026. The City’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) can procure food for the container.
b. Proposed sites to serve as Community Point of Distribution (CPOD.:
(1) Aikahi Park Shopping Center and Central Union Church Windward: KNB#31 Chair Bill Hicks has dispatched formal correspondence to the proprietors of both properties. Update (May 14, 2026): A response was received from the Senior Pastor at Central Union Church Windward, expressing an interest to meet and be briefed regarding their potential role as a CPOD location.
(2) The Daybreak Church has expressed interest in serving as a CPOD location. We appreciate the Daybreak Church’s commitment to support community resilience.

5. New Business:
a. Wildfire Management and Protection Planning: Councilmember Kia’aina, a member of the Honolulu City Council’s Committee on Public Safety & Economy, is interested in launching a wildfire protection planning project with Windward Oahu preparedness organizations. The Kailua Neighborhood Board’s PSPHCD Disaster Preparedness Subcommittee has pledged its support for this effort. Although Windward Oahu currently lacks a formal plan, Heather Forester, the Community Wildfire Protection Planning Lead, confirmed that the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization has obtained funding and is prepared to involve community boards in the development process. Discussion: Developing an effective strategy necessitates the participation of all key stakeholders, such as private landowners and other neighborhood boards in Waimanalo and Kaneohe. To support this collaboration, Councilwoman Kia’aina is considering a regional Town Hall for August 2026.
b. Support for Emergency Management Staffing: The City’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is currently facing understaffing issues. Councilmember Kia’aina is advocating for an increase in authorized positions to a total of 23 or more. Discussion: Subcommittee members support the staff expansion, noting that Oahu’s current staff of 15 serves a population of 987,000, which is disproportionately low compared to other counties:
Maui DEM: 22 budgeted positions for 165,500 residents.
Hawaii County: 12 funded positions for 211,000 residents.
Kauai County: 10–11 positions for 73,000 residents.
c. Report on Tabletop Exercise: Extreme Tsunami April 23, 2026, Kailua CERT: The tabletop exercise was held at the Adventist Health Castle Medical Center Auditorium. It was well attended by the community, first responders, HIEMA, DEM, and a representative from the Medical Center.

6. The next PSPHCD Disaster/Preparedness Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Aug 12, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. inside the General Manager’s Office at Mid-Pacific Country Club.

To view agenda and minutes, visit our board website.

Event shows physical location; however, other options of participation may also include WebEx and phone.  If available, instructions for WebEx and phone can be found at the top of the agenda.