FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   March 15, 2006

Release M-31-06

CITY  SEARCH TEAM DEPLOYS TO KAUAI

            Eleven volunteers from the City and County of Honolulu are on Kauai today to help search for people missing in yesterday’s flash flood in Kilauea.

            The 11 are members of the Urban Search and Rescue Team. They include Dr. Libby Char, director of the City Department of Emergency Services; three Honolulu paramedics, and seven members of the Honolulu Fire Department, including Battalion Chief Edward Simeona.  The USAR Team also includes state firefighters and several specially trained dogs and their handlers, who are all private citizen volunteers and train regularly  with the USAR Team.

            The team was activated and deployed to Kauai at the request of state Civil Defense to help efforts to search for people missing in Tuesday’s flooding in Kilauea.

             “In the spirit of state-county cooperation, we are more than willing to help Kauai in its time of need,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann. “When the state asked for our help, Dr. Char and Fire Chief Ken Silva immediately answered the call. Our hearts go out to our friends and loved ones on the Garden Isle.”

            From Kauai today, Char said, “We split up into two teams, each combing through the debris on one bank side of the stream. There’s a lot of debris: one pile is about 100 yards by 50 yards. We’re about a mile mauka of the ocean and working our way slowly upstream.

            “It’s raining again,” she added.

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Contact:

            Bill Brennan, 527-6928

            Mark Matsunaga, 527-5767