Kaumakani Tenants to Attend Wildfire Preparedness Meetings This Month

Kaumakani tenants will have two opportunities this month to learn evacuation strategies and emergency preparedness directly from the organizations responsible for their community's wildfire safety, with sessions scheduled for the evening of Monday, March 30, and the morning of Tuesday, March 31.

Gay & Robinson Inc., which manages land and community partnerships across West Kauaʻi, will conduct what organizers are calling the first annual wildfire preparedness outreach and education opportunity for Kaumakani. The meetings are being held under the County of Kauaʻi's wildfire safety requirements for plantation camp districts and are coordinated with the Kauaʻi Fire Department, the Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency, the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization, and the County Planning Department.

Both sessions will take place at Gay & Robinson's main office at 1 Kaumakani Ave. The Monday session begins at 5:30 p.m. and the Tuesday session at 8:30 a.m., offering flexibility for tenants with different schedules.

Sherri Waialeale, housing coordinator for Gay & Robinson, described the intent behind the meetings plainly. "These meetings are about practical readiness — how to prepare to evacuate and how we'll stay connected as a community, especially to support our kūpuna and any households that need help in an emergency," she said.

The sessions aim to enhance community safety amid growing wildfire concerns, with a particular emphasis on evacuation strategies and risk reduction. The explicit attention to kūpuna and households requiring additional assistance reflects the realities of plantation camp communities, where multigenerational and elderly residents may face greater challenges during a fast-moving emergency.

Tenants seeking more information before the meetings can contact Waialeale directly at 808-335-3133 or by email at swaialeale@gayandrobinson.com.