Community preparedness — Hawaii
Hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, flash floods, and wildfire. Hawaii faces more simultaneous natural hazards than most mainland states combined. Extension offices on every major island, CERT teams island by island, and ham operators who keep communities connected when the cable goes down. Here's where to start.
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CERT trainings, garden workdays, ham radio exams, first aid classes. Events from local organizations that build community resilience.
5
Island extension offices
1
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10+
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Where to plug in
Hawaii's isolation is both its greatest challenge and the source of its deepest community strength. When a hurricane or earthquake disrupts supply chains, the islands may be on their own for days before mainland help arrives. The organizations below operate island by island because each island faces its own combination of volcanic, seismic, coastal, and wildfire risk. The Hawaiian concept of mālama — to care for — runs through all of it.
The University of Hawaii at Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) operates cooperative extension offices on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii (Big Island), Kauai, and Molokai. CTAHR extension programming is adapted to tropical conditions: year-round growing, tropical pest management, aquaponics, taro cultivation, breadfruit propagation, and food preservation for hot climates. Hawaii's geographic isolation makes local food production a genuine security issue.
The Master Gardener program trains volunteers for Hawaii's diverse microclimates — from sea-level coastal gardens to the volcanic slopes of Mauna Kea. Extension also runs nutrition education programs, 4-H youth development, and sustainable agriculture research. Given that Hawaii imports roughly 85–90% of its food, extension programming on local food production has direct resilience implications.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA) coordinates the state's all-hazards emergency program. Hawaii's emergency planning is built around the reality that outside help may take days to arrive after a major event. The state maintains pre-positioned supplies, interisland coordination protocols, and robust community preparedness programs. Each county (City and County of Honolulu, Maui County, Hawaii County, Kauai County) operates its own emergency management agency.
CERT programs are active on all major islands. Training covers earthquake and tsunami response, hurricane sheltering, volcanic hazard awareness (on the Big Island), and standard CERT modules. After the 2018 Kilauea eruption and the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, community preparedness interest surged across the state. Training is free and adapted for Hawaii's specific hazard mix.
The American Red Cross Hawaii and Pacific Islands Region serves all of Hawaii plus American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau. First aid, CPR, AED, water safety, and lifeguarding classes are offered on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai throughout the year.
During the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire on Maui, Red Cross opened shelters across West Maui and deployed disaster workers from the mainland. The chapter also responded to the 2018 Kilauea eruption on the Big Island, sheltering families displaced by lava flows. In a state surrounded by ocean, the Red Cross emphasis on water safety takes on added weight. Volunteer entry points include shelter operations, disaster assessment, and first aid instruction.
Hawaii has about 10 amateur radio clubs in the ARRL Pacific Section. Ham radio is critically important on the islands: a major hurricane, earthquake, or tsunami could sever the undersea fiber-optic cables that carry most of Hawaii's internet and phone traffic to the mainland. In that scenario, HF ham radio may be the only way to communicate between islands and with the outside world. ARES teams on each island train for exactly this contingency.
Getting licensed costs $15 for the exam and about $35 for a basic handheld radio. Study at hamstudy.org, then find a local exam session. Clubs on Oahu (including the Emergency Amateur Radio Club of Hawaii), Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai host exams regularly.
NWS Honolulu serves all of Hawaii, issuing forecasts and warnings for every island. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Ewa Beach on Oahu monitors tsunami threats across the entire Pacific Basin. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS) monitors Kilauea, Mauna Loa, and other active volcanoes on the Big Island. Hawaii's multi-hazard environment means these agencies coordinate constantly.
Hawaii's weather hazards include hurricanes and tropical storms, flash flooding from intense rain (Kauai is one of the wettest places on Earth), high surf, coastal erosion, vog (volcanic smog) from active eruptions, and wildfire — particularly on leeward slopes during dry seasons. The tsunami siren system is tested monthly across all islands. Weather spotter training is free and available through NWS Honolulu.
The Hawaii State Public Library System operates about 50 libraries across all major islands, making it one of the few statewide (rather than county-based) library systems in the country. Libraries on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai serve as community gathering points, technology access hubs, and meeting spaces for organizations.
The University of Hawaii Community Colleges system includes 7 campuses: Honolulu, Kapiolani, Leeward, and Windward on Oahu; Hawaii Community College on the Big Island; Maui College; and Kauai Community College. These campuses offer affordable continuing education in healthcare, automotive technology, culinary arts, sustainable agriculture, and other trades essential to Hawaii's island economy.
Why this matters
On August 8, 2023, hurricane-driven winds pushed wildfire through the historic town of Lahaina on Maui's west side with almost no warning. Within hours, one of Hawaii's most beloved communities was destroyed. Over 100 people were killed, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. Thousands of residents lost everything.
In the immediate aftermath, with roads blocked and the town still burning, it was Maui's tight community networks that organized the first response. Residents with boats evacuated people along the shoreline when roads were impassable. Neighbors pooled food, water, and supplies. Churches and community centers became instant shelters. Hawaiian cultural organizations — rooted in traditions of collective care — coordinated donation distribution through existing networks that predated any government emergency plan.
Red Cross deployed disaster workers from across the country. CERT-trained residents on Maui helped with welfare checks and shelter operations. Ham radio operators provided communications when cell networks were overwhelmed. Extension agents helped coordinate agricultural recovery for farms destroyed by the fire. The response to Lahaina was overwhelmingly community-driven because that's how Hawaii works — the concept of ohana extends far beyond family.
Lahaina taught Hawaii — and the nation — that wildfire is not just a mainland risk, and that on islands where help is always an ocean away, community preparedness is the difference between survival and catastrophe. Every organization on this page exists to make that difference.
The foundation
Community resilience begins with a household that can take care of itself. Cover the first 72 hours, then extend outward to your street, your neighborhood, your island.
Start with the first 72 hours