Collaboration is the key to emergency management
by Alyssa Okamura | Dec. 10, 2024
While emergency situations are not always in our full control, we can do our best to make sure we are prepared for them. Every year, as technology improves, the climate changes, and people evolve, we learn to adapt and adjust our preparedness plans accordingly. However, one thing remains unchanged — the importance of collaboration.
On Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, I attended our annual joint Oil Spill Drill Exercise at the Marine Spill Response Center at Sand Island on Oahu. This in-person exercise involved several other agencies throughout Hawaii, including representatives from the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), the United States Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), State officials, and Hawaiian Electric employees across various departments, from operations and safety personnel to corporate communications. As a social media team member, I joined Darren Pai, our external communications manager, in the Public Information Officer (PIO) section.
The message of the day: “Our number one priority is human health and the environment.”
The exercise simulated the emergency response to a major oil spill from a power plant on Oahu. Different sections had the opportunity to meet those who they would be working with from other agencies while practicing and editing their plans for response, including containing the spill as well as addressing environmental and human health concerns. For the PIO section, we worked on how to keep the public informed.
With the rise of digital communications and social media, it was important for our social media team to understand the ins and outs of the emergency response efforts in the event of an oil spill. I know many people these days, especially those in my generation, look to social media first for the most recent information. With that in mind, it was important that we have a plan for posting on our social media channels to provide timely updates, and most of all, ensure that the public remains safe, especially when an emergency, such as an oil spill, occurs and presents a public health hazard.
Since working at Hawaiian Electric, I had only assisted with emergency response efforts that took place virtually. By attending this Oil Spill Drill exercise in person, it taught me that it is helpful to physically be in a centralized location for effective collaboration when multiple agencies are involved. The Marine Spill Center on Sand Island would be used as a primary location for an emergency response to an oil spill event, and similarly, other islands like Hawaii Island and Maui have identified locations where representatives from different organizations meet to work together.
Even though we used electronic advantages to keep records and quickly communicate, adapting to the ongoing digital pivot, I found it interesting that the drill simultaneously kept it “old school” with written notes on white boards, pinned papers on the walls, and printed copies of maps. This is because of the scenario where we lose access to internet capabilities. Having everyone be in a single location to provide printed information was helpful to continue response efforts through those unprecedented conditions. I realized that a backup plan, on paper, is essential, and if we did lose the internet, that further requires us to be well practiced in collaborating across agencies.
To wrap up the exercise, we reflected and mentioned that “We hope this doesn’t happen, but if it does, we are glad to have met and worked together in practice beforehand.”
No situation will be the same. Disasters can occur which involve scenarios we’ve never seen before. But, having a basis for preparedness, understanding the role we each have in an emergency, and working together effectively, will make our response to new circumstances easier, keeping people safe and minimizing environmental impacts.
Alyssa Okamura is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric.
