The city will spend about $3.5 million to define and construct evacuation routes from coastal areas as part of an effort to ensure orderly exits from low-lying communities in the event of a tsunami or severe flooding.

Officials plan to identify and utilize all available roadways including private roads, state roads, old plantation tracts and military roads.

"The task is very enormous and it has to be accurate the first time," said Melvin N. Kaku, director of the city's department of Emergency Management, speaking before the City Council's committee on Public Safety and Service recently. "The entire island is, at least on the coastal side, considered low-lying areas and highly susceptible to storm surges and floods. If one is in the low-lying areas, they need to go toward the mountains."

December's heavy rains convinced North Shore residents of the need for just such a plan, as well as the need for better notification from the city in the event of heavy rains or severe flooding.

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