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Ka'u District on the Southeast Flank of Mauna Loa; It Had an Estimated Magnitude of Between 7.5 and 8.1

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Ka'u District on the Southeast Flank of Mauna Loa; It Had an Estimated Magnitude of Between 7.5 and 8.1 Desk Copy Only KA’U DISTRICT ‐ COMMUNITY HAZARD RISK PROFILE KA’U DISTRICT ‐ COMMUNITY HAZARD RISK PROFILE KA’U DISTRICT ‐ COMMUNITY HAZARD RISK PROFILE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Communities in Ka’u district are at risk hazard events such as tsunamis, lava flows and hurricanes, and chronic hazards such as coastal erosion. Hazard events and chronic hazards include human‐caused actions and natural events that threaten the health and stability of coastal ecosystems and communities. Resilient communities understand the risks from natural hazards in the area and use this knowledge to manage risk. The first step in enhancing community resilience is to characterize risk from these hazards. This document is a compilation of information on natural hazard and climate change risks to Hawai’i County and the Ka’u district. This information is intended to help support ongoing local community development planning and other planning efforts, such as for watershed management, natural resource management, and emergency management, to enhance community resilience in Ka‘u. Based on review of various sources of information, this community hazard profile for the Ka’u district addresses the following natural hazards: tsunami, rainfall flooding, storm surge and high winds, hurricanes, earthquake, volcanic hazards, drought and wildfire and landslides and cliff erosion. In addition, information is presented on the implications of climate variability and change on hazard risk. This draft profile provides a description of each hazard, information on the extent and location of the hazard (risk zones as applicable), a summary of hazard events and impacts, and vulnerability and loss‐ estimates the hazard poses to the community. Identified within this profile are the types of assets (physical, societal, economic and environmental) that may be at risk to these natural hazards. Also included in this profile is a summary of potential hazard risk management initiatives that are ongoing or proposed for the County and the district. Finally a number of data gaps limiting our understanding of certain natural hazards is identified. Information on community perceptions of risk will be incorporated as the profile is reviewed by the community and other stakeholders. In summary, this hazard risk profile has identified the following significant vulnerabilities in the Ka’u district: The Ka’u district is particularly vulnerable to volcanic hazards (lava flow and VOG), as well as volcanic related earthquake hazards. While the entire Pacific coast of the district is exposed to short‐ and long‐ range tsunamis, it is noted that few structures (including residences) or infrastructure are located within the identified tsunami evacuation zones. While few structures (residential, commercial, etc.) in the district are located within coastal and riverine flood zones, it is noted that there is a history of flooding and road closures along Route 11. The electric, water supply and transportation lifelines serving the community are generally limited to single system with few alternates (redundancy), thus increasing overall vulnerability to interruptions and long‐term losses of use. For instance, Route 11 (Hawaii Belt Road) is the only access to the district, and is vulnerable to closures from bridge washouts in coastal stretches, lava flows on both the east and west sides of the district, and potential flooding and washouts from stream and flash flooding. The Piikea, Keaiwa, Paauau, Punaluu, Hilea, Kawaa and Honuapo streams often exceed the capacity of the existing bridges and culverts, resulting in flooding and temporary closure of the roadway. Several critical and essential facilities are identified as particularly vulnerable to certain hazards, specifically: Hawaiian Ocean View Estates Community Center located within lava hazard zone 2 ES ‐ i KA’U DISTRICT ‐ COMMUNITY HAZARD RISK PROFILE Pahoa and Hawaiian Ocean View police substations are unavoidably located in the lava hazard zone 2 Due to the high seismic risk in this County, and the age of the majority of the fire stations, the study rated the emergency preparedness of these essential facilities as poor. A 1993 seismic risk study found that non‐structural hazards at all the hospitals were severe, and may compromise their being able to remain functional after a major earthquake. As part of the Hawaii County Hazard Mitigation Plan update, the project engineering team consisting of the University of Hawaii, Martin & Chock, and Miyasato Kuniyoshi has been conducting an all‐hazard rapid visual screening (RVS) of critical facility buildings. Five structures were identified as particularly vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes in the Kau district. These include: Kau Hospital Hawaiian Ocean View Estates Fire Station Kau Fire Station (Pahala Fire Station) Kau Police Station Generator Building Kau Policy Station (Naalehu Policy Station) Further, Ka’u district has high percentages of special needs and vulnerable populations (youth under <18, elderly 60+ years, public assistance). These populations tend to be disproportionately impacted by natural hazard events, and may require special consideration when preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a disaster. On the other hand, the population within the district tends to reside in areas sufficiently away from the coastline that they are at reduced direct risk to tsunami, wave action and coastal erosion. A number of climate implications are expected to exacerbate the risks posed by these hazards in Ka‘u, including increase the severity and frequency of severe storms, increased wave heights, and longer periods of drought. ES ‐ ii KA’U DISTRICT ‐ COMMUNITY HAZARD RISK PROFILE Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... i PROFILE DEVELOPMENT................................................................................................................... 1 HAZARD IDENTIFICATION................................................................................................................. 1 HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION........................................................................................................... 1 TSUNAMI .................................................................................................................................................1 RAINFALL FLOODING, STORM SURGE AND HIGH WINDS...................................................................................6 HURRICANES...........................................................................................................................................14 EARTHQUAKE..........................................................................................................................................19 VOLCANIC HAZARDS.................................................................................................................................26 DROUGHT AND WILDFIRE .........................................................................................................................32 LANDSLIDES AND CLIFF EROSION ................................................................................................................36 CLIMATE IMPLICATIONS................................................................................................................. 37 INVENTORY OF ASSETS................................................................................................................... 41 SOCIETAL IMPACTS...................................................................................................................................41 THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.........................................................................................................................43 ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT...................................................................................................................52 ENVIRONMENT/NATURAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................53 VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................ 58 RAINFALL FLOODING, STORM SURGE AND HIGH WINDS VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT ........................................69 OVERALL ASSESSMENT................................................................................................................... 75 ADDITIONAL DATA NEEDS.........................................................................................................................76 i KA’U DISTRICT ‐ COMMUNITY HAZARD RISK PROFILE List of Figures Figure 1. History of Tsunamis in Hawaii County ..........................................................................................3 Figure 2. Tsunami Wave Heights – 1946 Event.............................................................................................4 Figure 3. Tsunami Wave Heights – 1957 Event.............................................................................................4 Figure 4. Tsunami Evacuation Zones.............................................................................................................5 Figure 5. FEMA NFIP Flood Hazard Zones ....................................................................................................8 Figure 6. FEMA NFIP Flood Hazard Zones in Hawaii Ocean View, Naalehu and Pahala...............................9 Figure 7. Historical Stream Flooding Events
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