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Saw something about this idea yesterday. Thought it was on Punaweb, but can't find it.
Idea is to allow displaced residents to utilize UH Hilo dorm rooms starting as soon as students move out for the summer. Sounds like a good idea that should be implemented immediately.
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Best idea for found housing yet!
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Yet the county is getting federal welfare emergency money. What are they doing with the funds. Other than paying the overtime for the road block cop guys.
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There are a number of bank owned properties about. I have one next door to me. Been sitting empty for 3-4 years.
They keep the lawn mowed.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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Here's a mention of using the Hilo dorms for evacuees during the summer:
http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/2018/05/1...va-crisis/
As I understand it, the stuff the University normally hauls to the dump that the students leave behind (microwaves, refrigerators, furniture, etc) are being retained for the evacuees, at least for now.
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After Katrina, huge cruise ships docked in New Orleans. They housed workers and administrators, not sure about displaced residents. The cruise ship companies were glad to do it, they were paid top dollar by the federal government to provide housing, and the ships didn't have to burn the regular amount of fuel to sail anywhere.
Portion of Hawaii’s drinking water that comes from underground wells : 9/10
Gallons of raw sewage that leak into the ground from Hawaii cesspools each day : 53,000,000 - Harper's Index
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Since the students are now gone - the time to act is yesterday.
All of the infrastructure is already in place - all they need to do is let those folks in the shelters move right in. If they are worried about any costs, send it to the feds like the rest of things that are being done such as emergency road access.
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I don't know how much housing is really available. If I recall correctly the Hilo campus does not have enough housing for its students in the regular semesters, there are still students living there for summer classes.
And of course during the slow time is when all the maintenance is done on the buildings.
Then you have the other problem of mixing non-students in with the student housing. Parents don't want "dirty old men" staying in the same housing as their daughters. At the glacial pace the bureaucrats move to come up with solutions that don't work, by the time they have a process in place the fall semester will be starting.
I'm sure there is some housing available there to help in this situation, but I suspect it's not a "solution" to the problem.
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Not to be a Scrooge, but I hope someone is thinking about the end game for housing and feeding the evacuees. I'm glad we're taking care of the folks who have lost everything due to the lava flow, but the County was apparently totally fine not housing or feeding our pre-existing homeless population before the flow happened. Are some homeless folks "good" homeless and others "disposable" homeless? And if this flow continues -- as many predict it will -- for weeks, months or years, what is the County's plan to close down the shelters and/or find permanent living situations for the evacuees? I suspect all the focus is on day-to-day crisis management, but there is a ticking time bomb that needs to be addressed.
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KeaauRich, I would assume that the displaced residents are a large mix of people with jobs, some retirees and some people on disability. Most of those with jobs are presumably continuing to go to work and are feeding themselves.
