Hurricanes, wildfire, and flood—Wailea Fairway Villas residents have seen it all. Proper preparation can be the difference between an unfortunate inconvenience and a flat-out catastrophe. Regardless of the disaster, preparedness can be seen, generally, as preparing for two possible scenarios:

  1. Due to imminent danger you must evacuate your condo and seek emergency shelter; or
  2. You must shelter-in-place, possibly without electricity and/or running water.

The Association recommends that you prepare for both scenarios, according to your family size and personal needs. Kristi Dunning, RN, BSN, former Board Director and current owner, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, have developed additional recommendations over and above government recommendations and guidelines.

The first line of defense against any disaster is knowing whether a disaster is imminent. The Maui Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) provides an alert system for Maui residents and guests. You can choose what kind and what level of alerts you will receive, and how you will receive them, such as by phone, email, text message, or all three. To sign up or change your alert preferences, please visit the MEMA Alerts page.

For either case, Maui County maintains a comprehensive guide to disaster preparedness. The MauiReady Preparedness Plan Workbook is a resource and checklist you can use for your preparedness needs. Additional recommendations and information specific to Wailea is included in the sections below.

Scenario #1: Evacuation and Emergency Shelter

The Wailea Community Association maintains a Disaster Preparedness and Reaction Plan that focuses on Wailea. Specific evacuation instructions are also found in our prepared excerpt of the WCA Evacuation Plan. In short, Wailea Fairway Villas residents may seek temporary shelter at the Hotel Wailea off Kaukahi St. However, it is likely that if the Villas have to evacuate, so does Hotel Wailea, so you should call first. Next to that, the closest County Evacuation Shelters are at Kihei Elementary School/Lokelani Intermediate off Lipoa Street, and Kamaliʻi Elementary School at Auhana Rd and Alanui Ke Ali’i (Just off Pi’ilani Highway). Be sure to familiarize yourself with shelter policies, as, for instance they typically do not allow pets or provide cots and bedding.

The MauiReady Preparedness Plan Workbook recommends preparing an “evacuation kit”, also called a “GO-KIT” or “GO” Bag. This is a designated bag—such as a duffel or roller bag, bin, or backpack—that contains the things you need to have with you if you need to evacuate and seek shelter. You may not have much time to evacuate so the bag should be placed and prepared for a quick exit. Note that you may require multiple bags for households with multiple family members. Additional recommendations:

  • Clothing for three days, shoes, socks, underwear, toiletries/hygiene items
  • Prescription medications, insulin, blood pressure medications, etc.
  • Important documents, irreplaceable items (it may be a laptop)!
  • Inflatable camp mattresses and blankets/sleeping bag.
  • Pet crates, food, medications, and of course, PETS!
  • Any item that answers the question, “is there anything in this house I cannot live without?”
Scenario #2: Sheltering-In-Place

During severe weather or other emergencies you may not be able to travel to purchase groceries or other supplies for a period of time. This situation can be made more difficult if during that period you do not have electricity or running water. No electricity also means no refrigeration, oven/range cooking, or cooking with microwaves. For many of us, that amounts to no eating or drinking for however long the situation lasts. Fortunately, we can prepare for these kinds of situations.

Over and above the Maui County guidelines for an Emergency Survival Kit and the MauiReady Preparedness Plan Workbook:

  • One gallon of water per person per day for at least three (3) days, seven (7) days worth is ideal. Consider acquiring a large-capacity water storage container, such as a Water Bob® (usually available through Amazon.com)
  • Enough nonperishable food to feed the entire household (including pets!) for at least seven (7) days, fourteen (14) days worth is ideal. Keep protein packed foods you can cook without electricity, such as tuna, peanut butter and protein bars. Consider acquiring Emergency Food Supplies, such as one these from Costco.com.
  • A manual can opener.
  • A hand-crank radio, such as this one at Amazon.com, and optionally an additional portable radio with extra batteries, to stay up to date on the latest weather alerts.
  • A first aid kit with gauze, tape, bandages, antibiotic ointment, non-prescription medication, a blanket, non-latex gloves, scissors, hydrocortisone, thermometer, tweezers and instant cold compress.
  • An S-Type Portable Power Bank, such as one of these from Costco.com, preferably with USB charging ports to charge mobile phones.
  • Additional External Battery Packs for charging cell phones, such as one these from Amazon.com. For many of us, our cell phones would be our only means to communication and Internet service during an extended blackout, so it doesn’t hurt to have extras.
  • If you have Hawaiian Telcom landline phone service, having an old-fashioned corded telephone, such as one these from Amazon.com, are very useful since they do not require electricity to operate.
  • A tool kit with basic tools, in case you need to shut off utilities.
  • A needle and thread.
  • Hand sanitizer.
  • Garbage bags.
  • Sufficient toilet paper and paper towels for 2-3 weeks.
  • Plastic sheeting and duct tape in case of broken windows or a leaky roof.
  • Whistle to signal for help so rescuers can locate you.
  • Any other essential items you need for up to two weeks.