(Smyrna) – During a 24-hour period April 14-15, nearly 50 inches of rain fell on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.  As media attention focuses on the spectacular images of the erupting Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawaii, emergency management officials are also working on recovery from the devastating floods, landslides, and mudslides that caused millions of dollars worth of damage on Kauai.  State officials in Hawaii have been responding to both disasters for more than a month, and have reached out to other states for assistance through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC).

Two members from the Planning Section of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) left over the weekend for a 30-day EMAC mission to Kauai, where they will work with local and federal officials managing the Presidential Disaster declaration.

DEMA Director A.J. Schall notes:  “This is the second time in 2018 that DEMA has deployed personnel on EMAC missions, and while they are there to help the hosting state, Delaware also benefits.  Our team that deployed to Puerto Rico earlier in the year brought back important lessons that we can use here at home to make Delaware more resilient.”

DEMA personnel were deployed through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC), which is a formal agreement among the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and approved by the General Assembly.  Among other particulars, EMAC sets forth policies and procedures for affected geographic areas to request assistance from other EMAC participants, while also establishing a framework for how those providing assistance are reimbursed for equipment and personnel costs.

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