The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Hawaiʻi District Health Office (HDHO) will conduct a Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) survey to assess the emergency preparedness level of eastern Hawaiʻi County households in Hilo (North and South), Puna and Kaʻū districts from May 12-16.

The project is an interagency collaboration between HDHO, Hawaiʻi County and community organizations to coordinate and conduct the CASPER study for Hawaiʻi Island. These partners include: Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency, Hawaiʻi County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) teams, Citizen Corps, Hawaiʻi Animal Kuleana Alliance (HAKA), Men of Paʻa and Vibrant Hawaiʻi.

Survey teams will go door-to-door to 30 randomly selected census blocks. Seven houses within each block will be systematically selected and surveyed for a total of 210 attempted household-level surveys. Teams are comprised of DOH staff and local county partner organizations.

The survey is estimated to take about 10 minutes. Selected households will be asked about their emergency and evacuation plans; familiarity with local resources; and any concerns regarding disaster preparedness. All survey responses will be voluntary and confidential, so names or addresses will not be collected.

Team members will wear vests identifying themselves as part of the DOH survey team and will carry identification cards. Selected households will be offered the opportunity to complete the survey over the phone, if preferred.