A comprehensive hurricane preparedness exercise is under way today in Kahuku, with Hawaiçi National Guard members dressed in full-body chemical suits taking mock victims through a series of medical tents at Kahuku Medical Center.

The Guard has never done a hurricane test on this scale before, said spokesman Col. Chuck Anthony. They’ve done many “table exercises” with phones and laptops in the past, but they’ve never combined so many aspects of an emergency in a field test before. Today’s test includes the chemical tents, the hospital and a CH-47 helicopter.
The exercise is being conducted as part of “Makani Palihi,” Hawaiçi’s hurricane-preparation test.
“They want these exercises done with the Guard because they know they’re so isolated out here,” said Anthony, referring to the Kahuku Medical Center’s remote location. The center is the only hospital in the area.
Today’s exercise prepares for chemical spills, search-and-rescue missions and power outages that might occur during or after a hurricane, Anthony said.
Volunteer students from Brigham Young University-Hawaiçi are serving as mock victims.
Traffic on Kamehameha Highway was moving slowly as the exercise got under way around 10 a.m.