Hawaii County Mayor Mitch Roth said he had to make one of the most difficult decisions of his career nearly a year ago. As the massive Mana Road wildfire was bearing down on the mostly residential Waikoloa Village, Roth called for its evacuation.
“With every adversity, there’s a greater or equal opportunity,” Roth said Saturday morning before the Hulu Holoholo event organized by the Waikoloa Village Association and its partners got underway.
During the Aug. 1, 2021, evacuation of thousands from the South Kohala town, it became clear that many people in the area were not familiar with the emergency evacuation road at the end of Hulu Street that provides a second way out of Waikoloa Village. Instead, people packed their vehicles and headed makai on Waikoloa Road, which quickly became congested and slowed to a crawl.
Community organizers say the kind of gridlock experienced in 2021 could have resulted in fatalities had the fire reached the village, such as occurred in 2018 when the Camp Fire engulfed Paradise, California, killing 85.
Saturday’s Hulu Holoholo event was held to familiarize the community with the road should a future evacuation have to be ordered.
“It’s likely some of you were not familiar with this road and that’s why we’re here today to familiarize you with this route,” explained Julia Alos, chairperson of the Waikoloa Community Leadership Council during opening remarks prior to the road being opened to vehicles.
Over 100 vehicles drove the route, a combination of paved and dirt road, from Hulu Street down to Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno told participants that evacuation routes are just one part of emergency preparedness for any type of natural or man-caused disaster, noting “you need to think about the plan in your head, with your family, neighbors, and your community.”
“It’s not a matter of if, but of when another wildfire will strike this area,” Hawaii Fire Department Chief Kazuo Todd told community members. “People often think of wildfire only happening in the forest. Grass fires are as threatening and as likely to cause property damage. In wet years, the thousands of acres of grass, all around Waikoloa Village, grows lush and high. In dry years, like this, it dries out, creating the fuel for fast moving fires in what are known as light, flashy fuels.”
For more information on the road, visit waikoloa.org/HuluHoloholo.