Department of Defense

DoD Earthquake Response

By Maj. Charles Anthony

The Oct. 15 earthquake centered off the Big Island’s Kiholo Bay was bad enough, resulting in tens of millions of dollars worth of damage. There were 48 people injured- none seriously, three homes were destroyed and 53 homes and seven schools sustained major damage. But it could have been much worse. The 6. 7 magnitude quake did not generate any localized tsunami (experts say a magnitude of 6.9 or greater is required to do that). It was also fortunate that it struck at 7:07 a.m. on a Sunday, when traffic was light and the Hawaii National Guard was already on duty since it was a drill weekend. “The reputation of the Hawaii Guard is so good that just knowing that our soldiers and Airmen were immediately available had a tremendous calming affect on Hawaii’s citizens who had been rattled by the earthquake and resulting power outages”, said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, the adjutant general. But there were only a few National Guard missions to be performed on that day in support of civil authorities. OH-58 Kiowa helicopters flew aerial damage assessment missions and with airports closed, the Army Guard’s C-26 was pressed into to service to fly Gov. Linda Lingle back to Oahu from the Big Isle.

In the days and weeks that followed, the Hawaii National Guard was requested to perform various state active duty missions as the extent of the damage started to emerge. Dozens of soldiers worked with FEMA and State Civil Defense as part of damage assessment teams and a crew from C Company, 1st Battalion, 207thAviation was dispatched to fly aerial surveillance for Gov. Lingle, the adjutant general and other State officials on Oct. 18.

Another front of activity opened up in November, when it was determined that damage to the Paihi Bridge on Maui made it unsafe to travel to the village of Kipahulu, cutting off residents. The Army Guard’s CH-47 Chinooks were pressed into service to deliver fuel, food, water and other essentials to the 500 or so residents. The HIARNG helicopters delivered nearly 20 tons of supplies to the grateful residents.

As the pupukahi goes to print, Hawaii National Guard soldiers and Airmen continue with state active duty missions, clearing debris from the Hamakua ditch. The ditch is the major irrigation source of water for agriculture in that district. Following the quake, the water flow was blocked threatening the water supply to one of Hawaii’s major food producing areas and threatening the livelihood of the farmers there who work the land. “The success of the Hawaii National Guard efforts was a direct result of the soldiers and Airmen commitment to volunteering to support the communities in need. They really wanted to help”, said Lt. Col. Ben. Fuata, Task Force Koa commander on the Big Island.

– 2006 October-December Pupukahi pp. 8

In October, the 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry, mobilized Soldiers in response to the earthquake that hit the west side of the island. The squadron provided a command and control cell and tactically positioned personnel throughout the island to aide in relief and recovery efforts.

– 2007 Annual Report pp. 12

The Kiholo Bay Earthquake caused significant damage to homes, businesses, and to critical infrastructure on the Big Island and damage to the Piilani Highway along the south Maui coastline from Kaupo to Kipahulu. Tremors from the earthquake also caused an island-wide power outage on Oahu that resulted in a loss of media communication for much of the state. 

– 2007 Annual Report pp. 21

Blackhawk unit aswers Iraqi call

On the front page of this issue, there’s an article on the mobilization of Company C, 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation. They’re the last Blackhawk unit in the nation to be mobilized for duty in either Afghanistan or Iraq. We had asked the Defense Department to delay the unit’s mobilization until after our CH-47 unit completed its tour of duty in Iraq and could have its aircraft overhauled. If we had had both rotary wing units gone at the same time, the State would’ve been placed in a difficult position in the event of a disaster. In fact, last year, in addition to the aero-medical evacuation mission conducted on Oahu, our UH-60 Blackhawks supported operations following the Kaloko Dam break and torrential flooding on Kauai, as well as conducting missions on the Big Island after the Oct. 15 earthquake. I know that they’ll make Hawaii proud and will perform to the same high standards as those who’ve done yearlong tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.

– 2007 January – March Pūpūkahi pp. 2