Emergency Disaster Management Center PDC Hawaii

On September 11, 1992 (HST), Hurricane Iniki devastated the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Estimated sustained winds were 140 miles per hour, leaving more than 14,350 homes damaged or destroyed and, by the end, over $3 billion USD in damage throughout the state. Hurricane Iniki stands out as the most powerful disaster event to impact the Hawaiian Islands in recent history. A major lesson learned from the Hawaii experience, and a common theme in other disasters, is that emergency managers at all levels of government need better access to information to make critical life-saving decisions. To address this need, the United States Congress established the Pacific Disaster Center on the island of Maui in 1995. Today, PDC is a robust and well-respected information management and analysis center with nodes on both Maui and Oahu. PDC has undergone four stages in its evolutionary history through today.

1993 - 1995

The initial concept was developed, legislation approved, and the facility and infrastructure developed on Maui.

1995 - 1998

PDC developed its hardware, software, and communications systems, and refined its concept in collaboration with the user community. PDC's Initial Operating Capability was formally established in 1998.

1998 - 2001

PDC shifted its focus to the development of applications and operations, and increased emphasis was placed on the mitigation and preparation phases of emergency management while providing ongoing support to the State of Hawaii.

2001 - 2006

PDC's management structure was changed from a contract to a cooperative agreement that enabled public-private partnerships. The East-West Center, located in Honolulu, became PDC's managing partner. Subsequently, a new Strategic Plan was put in place, a new organizational structure implemented, and program areas expanded to cover all aspects of the disaster management community. The Center moved into a new facility in the Maui Research and Technology Park in February, 2006.

2006

The University of Hawaii became PDC's managing partner.