Sea Grant Postcard from the Field: Preparedness in Paradise

September 14, 2018

September is National Preparedness Month.

When it comes to preparing for natural disasters, Dennis Hwang wrote the book – literally.

Hwang is a Coastal Hazard Mitigation Specialist with Hawai‘i Sea Grant and co-author of the Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards. Since its first publication in 2007, the handbook has gone through three editions, with a fourth edition on the way thanks to appropriated funds from the Hawai’i Legislature. Over 75,000 copies have been distributed, and the electronic version is also freely accessible online.

Written specifically for homeowners, the handbook is based on three main principles: (1) Providing information in a way that is easy to understand, with pictures and step-by-step instructions; (2) Educating and informing the homeowner of hazard risks in their area; and (3) Offering as many options or solutions to the homeowner as possible that are relevant, reasonable, and cost effective.

Some of the new additions to the most recent version of the Hawai’i Homeowner’s Handbook include a Shelter-in-Place Table which provides guidance for deciding to shelter in your home, information on new ways to retrofit homes that can reduce damage from earthquakes and hurricane winds, and expanded sections on threats from other hazards like volcanoes, wildfire, drought, and climate change.

The original Homeowner’s Handbook has also been adapted and used by other Sea Grant programs around the country. In many instances, Hwang traveled to these programs to help them get started and connect with their local partners. Regional versions that have been adapted from the original Handbook include:

Alabama

Delaware (PDF)

Florida

Louisiana

Mariana Islands (including Guam) (PDF)

Massachusetts

Mississippi

Republic of the Marshall Islands (available in English and Marshallese)

Texas (available in English and Spanish)

Virginia

American Lobster

Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative awards $5.4 million to further innovative research and outreach in support of the lobster industry and fishing communities

Since 2019, Sea Grant’s American Lobster Initiative has addressed critical knowledge gaps about the American lobster and its fishery facing a dynamic and changing environment. The Initiative supports a regional extension program in the Northeast and a national research competition. Fifteen emerging research projects were selected in 2023 and 2024 for $4.6 million in federal funding by the NOAA National Sea Grant College Program. Coordinated by Maine Sea Grant since 2019, the Northeast lobster extension program was recently renewed with an $840,000 federal award that supports work through 2026.

Sea Grant announces $987, 361 to fund 2024 Young Fishermen’s Career Development projects

Sea Grant announces $987, 361 to fund 2024 Young Fishermen’s Career Development projects Today, NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office is pleased to announce the selection

Sea Grant welcomes 2025 Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship finalists

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program is thrilled to announce the finalists for the 2025 class of the Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. This year, for the first time in program history, all eligible Sea Grant programs are represented by a diverse cohort of 88 early-career professionals who will spend the next year working alongside federal agencies or legislative offices in Washington, D.C., applying their academic expertise to critical marine, coastal and Great Lakes policy issues.