06-01-2012, 06:54 AM
Yes, Rob, such a facility is needed...
but
No, Rob, Leilani is the wrong place to put it.
Let's think this through together: in a geothermal blowout, Leilani residents evacuate their homes to evacuate to....Leilani! Better options would be to stay home with doors and windows closed, or pack an overnight bag and visit friends or relatives in Hilo. Residents of other surrounding communities would have to get closer to the disaster if they evacuated to Leilani. It does not compute!
After the blowout the EPA sent a team here and they said we needed an emergency evacuation plan for the neighboring community. That has not happened. We have been waiting for it for 21 years! And one of the things a plan like that should address is the siting of evacuation centers - ten miles away! Putting such a facility in Leilani before a comprehensive emergency response plan is drafted and approved is bass ackwards (aka cart before the horse). And therefore a total waste of money. It will also distract from the real work of creating a viable plan.
but
No, Rob, Leilani is the wrong place to put it.
Let's think this through together: in a geothermal blowout, Leilani residents evacuate their homes to evacuate to....Leilani! Better options would be to stay home with doors and windows closed, or pack an overnight bag and visit friends or relatives in Hilo. Residents of other surrounding communities would have to get closer to the disaster if they evacuated to Leilani. It does not compute!
After the blowout the EPA sent a team here and they said we needed an emergency evacuation plan for the neighboring community. That has not happened. We have been waiting for it for 21 years! And one of the things a plan like that should address is the siting of evacuation centers - ten miles away! Putting such a facility in Leilani before a comprehensive emergency response plan is drafted and approved is bass ackwards (aka cart before the horse). And therefore a total waste of money. It will also distract from the real work of creating a viable plan.