MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle issued the following statement today following the release of the latest unemployment numbers, which showed that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January 2010 was 6.9 percent, a 0.1 percentage point increase over December’s revised rate of 6.8 percent. The number of unemployed people in Hawai‘i in January 2010 was 43,450, compared to 38,400 in January 2009.

“With many of our residents out of work, it is critical that the Legislature pass immediate and meaningful legislation that will help private businesses create and retain jobs. My Administration has proposed comprehensive legislation to encourage businesses to hire new employees, including providing tax credits for the creation of new jobs and developing ‘green’ jobs through Hawai‘i Clean Energy Investment bonds to finance energy efficiency projects.

“At the same time, I have directed my cabinet to move forward on job creation programs that do not require legislation. These include Hawai‘i Premium Plus, which would reimburse employers for the cost of health care premiums for new hires, as well as the Volunteer Internship Program that would allow people on unemployment to work for or volunteer their time with a prospective employer.”

** A tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii shores at 12:46 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 following a massive earthquake off Chile. Officials predict any tsunami generated by that 8.8M earthquake may reach Hawaii shores by 11:19 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27 **

A tsunami warning means a dangerous tsunami may have been generated and could be close to your area. Warnings are issued when an earthquake is detected that meets the location and magnitude criteria for the generation of a tsunami.

The warning includes predicted tsunami arrival times at selected coastal communities within the geographic area defined by the maximum distance the tsunami could travel in a few hours.

What to Do When a Tsunami Warning Is Issued

You should:

* Use a NOAA Weather Radio or stay tuned to a Coast Guard emergency frequency station, or a local radio or television station for updated emergency information.
* Follow instructions issued by local authorities. Recommended evacuation routes may be different from the one you planned, or you may be advised to climb higher. Remember, authorities will issue a warning only if they believe there is a real threat from tsunami.
* If you hear an official tsunami warning or detect signs of a tsunami, evacuate at once. A tsunami warning is issued when authorities are certain that a tsunami threat exists, and there may be little time to get out.
* Take your Disaster Supplies Kit. Having supplies will make you more comfortable during the evacuation.
* Get to higher ground as far inland as possible. Officials cannot reliably predict either the height or local effects of tsunamis.
* Watching a tsunami from the beach or cliffs could put you in grave danger. If you can see the wave, you are too close to escape it.
* Return home only after local officials tell you it is safe. A tsunami is a series of waves that may continue for hours. Do not assume that after one wave the danger is over. The next wave may be larger than the first one. In several cases, people survived the first wave and returned to homes and businesses only to be trapped and killed by later, sometimes larger, waves in the series.
* If you evacuate, take your animals with you. If it is not safe for you, it is not safe for your animals.
* If you cannot escape a wave, climb onto a roof or up a tree, or grab a floating object and hang on until help arrives. Some people have survived tsunami waves by using these last-resort methods.

— Find out more:

geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/tsunami_2.htm

BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 6
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1246 AM HST SAT FEB 27 2010

TO – CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – TSUNAMI WARNING

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS ISSUED FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII EFFECTIVE AT
1246 AM HST.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0834 PM HST 26 FEB 2010
COORDINATES – 36.1 SOUTH 72.6 WEST
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 8.8 MOMENT

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY

GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON TIME AMPL PER
——————- —– —— —– ————— —–
IQUIQUE CL 20.2S 70.1W 0906Z 0.27M / 0.9FT 72MIN
ANTOFAGASTA CL 23.2S 70.4W 0941Z 0.49M / 1.6FT 52MIN
ARICA CL 18.5S 70.3W 1007Z 0.94M / 3.1FT 44MIN
DART LIMA 32412 18.0S 86.4W 0941Z 0.24M / 0.8FT 36MIN
CALDERA CL 27.1S 70.8W 0843Z 0.45M / 1.5FT 20MIN
TALCAHUANO CL 36.7S 73.4W 0653Z 2.34M / 7.7FT 88MIN
COQUIMBO CL 30.0S 71.3W 0852Z 1.32M / 4.3FT 30MIN
CORRAL CL 39.9S 73.4W 0739Z 0.90M / 2.9FT 16MIN
SAN FELIX CL 26.3S 80.1W 0815Z 0.53M / 1.7FT 08MIN
VALPARAISO CL 33.0S 71.6W 0708Z 1.29M / 4.2FT 20MIN

LAT – LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
LON – LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
TIME – TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
AMPL – TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
IT IS …NOT… CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
PER – PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.

EVALUATION

A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG
COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION
SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.

A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE
CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD
COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE
INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS
CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST.
TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT
RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI
WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL
QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE
CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED
BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH
TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.

THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS

1119 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010

MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 5
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1149 PM HST FRI FEB 26 2010

TO – CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – TSUNAMI ADVISORY SUPPLEMENT

A TSUNAMI ADVISORY CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0834 PM HST 26 FEB 2010
COORDINATES – 36.1 SOUTH 72.6 WEST
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF CENTRAL CHILE
MAGNITUDE – 8.8 MOMENT
MAGNITUDE – 8.4 RICHTER (MS)

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY

 GAUGE LOCATION        LAT   LON    TIME        AMPL         PER
 -------------------  ----- ------  -----  ---------------  -----
 CALDERA CL           27.1S  70.8W  0843Z   0.45M /  1.5FT  20MIN
 ANTOFAGASTA CL       23.2S  70.4W  0832Z   0.40M /  1.3FT  58MIN
 TALCAHUANO CL        36.7S  73.4W  0653Z   2.34M /  7.7FT  88MIN
 COQUIMBO CL          30.0S  71.3W  0852Z   1.32M /  4.3FT  30MIN
 CORRAL CL            39.9S  73.4W  0739Z   0.90M /  2.9FT  16MIN
 SAN FELIX CL         26.3S  80.1W  0815Z   0.53M /  1.7FT  08MIN
 VALPARAISO CL        33.0S  71.6W  0708Z   1.29M /  4.2FT  20MIN

 LAT  - LATITUDE (N-NORTH, S-SOUTH)
 LON  - LONGITUDE (E-EAST, W-WEST)
 TIME - TIME OF THE MEASUREMENT (Z IS UTC IS GREENWICH TIME)
 AMPL - TSUNAMI AMPLITUDE MEASURED RELATIVE TO NORMAL SEA LEVEL.
        IT IS ...NOT... CREST-TO-TROUGH WAVE HEIGHT.
        VALUES ARE GIVEN IN BOTH METERS(M) AND FEET(FT).
 PER  - PERIOD OF TIME IN MINUTES(MIN) FROM ONE WAVE TO THE NEXT.

EVALUATION

THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HAS ISSUED AN EXPANDING REGIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH FOR PARTS OF THE PACIFIC LOCATED CLOSER TO THE EARTHQUAKE. AN EVALUATION OF THE PACIFIC WIDE TSUNAMI THREAT IS UNDERWAY AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT HAWAII COULD BE ELEVATED TO A WATCH OR WARNING STATUS.

IF TSUNAMI WAVES IMPACT HAWAII THEIR ESTIMATED EARLIEST ARRIVAL
TIME IS

1119 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010

MESSAGES WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

MEDIA RELEASE

More than $8.3 million to be distributed to Hawai‘i counties

HONOLULU – Lt. Governor James R. “Duke” Aiona, Jr. today announced that the State will provide more than $8.3 million to the four counties to reduce and prevent underage drinking in Hawai‘i.

Through a 2006 federal grant, the state committed $10.45 million over five years to address the public health concern of underage drinking. The program calls for developing a comprehensive strategic prevention plan, expanding the Hawai‘i Epidemiological Profile for Substance Abuse Prevention and distributing funds to each of the four county Mayor’s offices to coordinate activities at the community level.

“We’re using the best available data to build capacity and structure at the community level where we can address the greatest needs to curb underage drinking,” said Lt. Governor Aiona. “Underage drinking is a public health concern that requires active community involvement and evidence-based prevention programs. We have aggressively pursued this funding to enhance our prevention efforts.”

Sixty percent of Hawai‘i high school students have consumed alcohol, and 15 percent binge drink, according to a 2007 statewide survey. Hawai‘i ranks fourth in the nation for alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths, according to a 2008 study.

According to a funding formula reviewed and approved by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the counties will receive funding to curb underage drinking as follows:

• Hawai‘i County – $2,103,140.28
• Honolulu – $2,310,502.58
• Kaua‘i – $1,237,824.95
• Maui – $1,464,732.20

In 2006, the Lingle-Aiona Administration, under the direction of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, secured funding from SAMHSA through the Strategic Prevention Framework – State Incentive Grant (SPF-SIG). A project manager and project specialist were brought on to direct the overall project and coordinate the project at the community level. A workgroup was formed to update substance abuse prevention data, and a state advisory council convened. In 2008, community advisory councils were formed in each of the four island counties.

Lt. Governor Aiona is a former member of the national advisory council for SAMHSA.

MEDIA RELEASE

HONOLULU – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today awarded $912,713 to Hawai‘i to support public health efforts to reduce obesity, increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and decrease smoking—the four most important actions for combating chronic diseases and promoting health. The award to Hawai‘i is part of $119.1 million going to the states as the first of several initiatives that make up the comprehensive prevention and wellness initiative, Communities Putting Prevention to Work, which is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The cost of managing chronic diseases in Hawai‘i is growing exponentially,” said Hawai‘i Health Director Chiyome Fukino, M.D. “Unless we do more to prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases from occurring in the first place we will never be able to bring health care spending under control.”

The supplemental funds from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) acknowledges the value of existing projects within the Department of Health’s Healthy Hawai‘i Initiative and supports them through additional funding. DOH was awarded $428,713 to apply sustainable policy and systems changes in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and tobacco. Funded projects include:

• State Worksite Wellness Policy, to increase opportunities for physical activity in the workplace by providing liability immunity for state and county agencies that offer activities through worksite wellness programs, through state legislation.
• Baby Friendly Hawai‘i Project, DOH will work closely with the Breastfeeding Coalition of Hawai‘i to increase support for breastfeeding by changing policies in hospital maternity programs statewide, to increase the likelihood of sustained exclusive breastfeeding after birth, a protective factor from obesity and diabetes.
• Tobacco Advertising Project, DOH with work with REAL, a statewide anti-tobacco youth coalition, to align through youth advocacy, existing county and state tobacco advertising and promotion policies to recent changes in the federal Food and Drug Administration regulations through establishing or changing existing state and county level policies. Interested youth can join the effort by visiting www.therealmessage.net

DOH was also awarded $484,000 to join other states to reach the national goal of having 80,000 smokers nationwide successfully quit as a result of additional quit line services and media activity. DOH will increase the Hawai‘i Quitline’s evidence-based program that includes coaching and free nicotine replacement therapy to an additional 1,100 insured tobacco users in a 24-month period. A media campaign to encourage smokers to call 1-800-QUIT-NOW will target populations with high tobacco use. Research shows that people who get support while they’re quitting are much more likely to successfully beat their smoking addiction.

Smoking and tobacco use are the leading cause of preventable sickness and deaths in Hawai‘i and the nation. Tobacco use results in the death of over 1,200 residents of Hawai‘i annually and costs $643 million a year in medical costs and lost productivity. In 2003, obesity related medical expenditures for adults in Hawai‘i were estimated to be $290 million. “The ARRA funds help to support our efforts to establish sustainable changes that make it easier for children and adults in Hawai‘i to be more physically active, eat healthy foods, and live tobacco free,” said Fukino. “These activities are part of a comprehensive effort to provide people with opportunities for living healthy in Hawai‘i.”

To learn more about Hawai‘i prevention and wellness projects, visit www.healthyhawaii.com. To learn more about Communities Putting Prevention to Work, visit www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/recovery

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
243 PM HST SAT JAN 09 2010

TO – CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT – TSUNAMI INFORMATION

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0228 PM HST 09 JAN 2010
COORDINATES – 40.7 NORTH 124.4 WEST
LOCATION – NEAR COAST OF NORTHERN CALIF.
MAGNITUDE – 6.4 MOMENT

EVALUATION

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

MEDIA RELEASE

Representative Mark Nakashima and Senator Dwight Takamine announced today that they will hold Community and Senior Club meetings prior to the convening of the 2010 Legislature on January 20, 2010. Meetings scheduled throughout the First District are:

Community Meetings:

Jan 4, 2010 Mon   5:00 PM Kohala (Rep Nakashima) at Kohala Senior Ctr
Jan 4, 2010 Mon   6:30 PM Waimea (Sen Takamine) at Waimea Elem School Cafe
Jan 5, 2010 Tues  7:00 PM Rural S. Hilo at Kalanianaole School Cafeteria
Jan 6, 2010 Wed   7:00 PM Honoka‘a at Honoka‘a School Cafeteria
Jan 7, 2010 Thur  6:00 PM N. Hilo Comm. Council at Laupahoehoe HS Humanities Rm

Senior Centers Meetings:

January 4, 2010  Monday    Kohala Seniors (Rep)   9:00 AM
January 5, 2010  Tuesday   Paauilo Seniors        9:00 AM
January 6, 2010  Wednesday Honoka‘a Seniors       9:00 AM
January 8, 2010  Friday    Laupahoehoe Seniors    9:00 AM
January 12,2010  Tuesday   Waimea Seniors (Sen)   9:00 AM
January 12,2010  Tuesday   Hakalau Seniors       10:30 AM
January 14,2010  Thursday  Papa‘ikou Seniors      9:00 AM
January 14,2010  Thursday  Pepe‘ekeo Seniors     10:30 AM

Rep. Nakashima and Sen. Takamine would like to hear from the community their concerns and issues prior to the start of the legislative session. Mark and Dwight will also share information about issues facing state government in these challenging economic times as well as new legislative proposals.

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, Harbors Division invites you to attend Public Informational Meetings to discuss the update to the Hawai‘i Island Commercial Harbors 2035 Master Plan.

At this round of meetings, there will be presentations on special studies, cargo and passenger forecasts, and conceptual alternatives for the harbor in the future.

We look forward to meeting with you and having the opportunity to address any concerns and suggestions regarding this proposed project.

SPECIAL NEEDS: To request language translation, an auxiliary aid or service (e.g., sign language interpreter, accessible parking, or materials in alternative format), contact Mr. Dean Watase; Hawai‘i State Department of Transportation; 79 S. Nimitz Highway; Honolulu Hi 96813; phone: (808) 587- 1883; e-mail: dean.watase@hawaii.gov seven (7) days prior to the meeting date. TTY users may use TRS to contact HDOT.

State government revenues fall 16 percent eleven states top 25 percent spending on public welfare

State governments took in nearly $1.7 trillion in total revenues in fiscal year 2008, a 15.8 percent decrease from 2007, according to new data on state government finances released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The largest share of those revenues came from taxes ($780.7 billion), which made up 46.5 percent. The decline was primarily because of a decrease in insurance trust revenue, which fell by $377.7 billion (72.7 percent).

Insurance trust systems are comprised of public employee retirement systems, the unemployment compensation system, state government workers’ compensation programs and other state social insurance trusts.

Total state government expenditures increased 6.2 percent from fiscal year 2007, totaling slightly more than $1.7 trillion in 2008. Education ($546.8 billion), public welfare ($412.1 billion) and highways ($107.2 billion) represented the top three outlays, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all state government total expenditures.

The findings come from the 2008 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, which includes data on revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings for each state, as well as a national level summary. The major source of these finance statistics is the governments’ own accounting systems, either directly from a government’s own records or through intermediate reporting systems.

Eleven states spent more than 25 percent of total expenditures on public welfare, with Tennessee (32.8 percent), Maine (30.5 percent) and Rhode Island (29.8 percent) spending the highest percentage of their total expenditures. (See table)

Public welfare spending is used to support people based on need and includes such items as old-age assistance, temporary assistance for needy families, and commodities and services provided under welfare programs, including medical care or burial services.

Hawaii (11.5 percent), Alabama (10.1 percent) and South Carolina (9.9 percent) led in spending on public health and hospitals as a percentage of total expenditures.

In addition to state taxes, state lotteries were another way many state governments (including Washington, D.C.) raised revenue in 2008. Total state lottery ticket sales reached $77.3 billion in 2008, an increase of 1.8 percent from 2007. Lottery prize payouts represented $56.7 billion in expenditures, a 1.4 percent increase over the previous year. And lottery proceeds represented $18.2 billion in state government revenue, an increase of 2.9 percent. New York ($2.7 billion), Florida ($1.4 billion) and California ($1.2 billion) led the nation in lottery proceeds.

More survey info: www.census.gov/govs/state/index.html

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER   1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1157 PM HST TUE DEC 08 2009

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI INFORMATION

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

   ORIGIN TIME - 1146 PM HST 08 DEC 2009
   COORDINATES - 22.2 SOUTH  170.9 EAST
   LOCATION    - SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
   MAGNITUDE   - 6.5  MOMENT

EVALUATION

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS  NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A  DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO  TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

MEDIA RELEASE

Solar water heaters will be required as the primary renewable energy source for new homes after January 1, 2010.

State Senate Bill 644, Act 204, is another step in Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative to decrease Hawaii’s dependence on fossil fuel with renewable energy sources by 2030.

Not all areas of the Big Island produce sufficient sunlight to operate a solar water heater system to supply a household with hot water, however. An architect or engineer may, on behalf of the homeowner, file for a variance with State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism Strategic Industries Division requesting alternate energy sources.

To download a variance form, a Hawai‘i Solar map, and copies of Senate Bill 644 Act 204, House Bill 1464_CD1, e-mail Public Works at public_works@co.hawaii.hi.us

For further information and latest updates on energy efficiency, visit hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/energy or call the State of Hawai‘i toll-free, 974-4000, and ask for the Energy Division at DBED&T.