Resilient Retrofit Project Strengthens Lanakila Pacific to Serve During Disasters

Lanakila Pacific recently completed a major phase of a hazard-mitigation construction project, utilizing a $1.6-million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, administered by the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). The retrofitting and strengthening of Lanakila’s main facility in Honolulu is a crucial project to fortify our facilities against natural hazards, and aims to ensure the safety and continuity of our vital services.

Lanakila Pacific is a busy and versatile nonprofit that serves individuals with cognitive, physical, social, or age-related challenges. Its Meals on Wheels program, O‘ahu’s largest and only islandwide delivery service for seniors, has been active since 1971.

“The health and safety of our Lanakila Meals on Wheels seniors are a priority during a major disaster, and the FEMA mitigation grant enables us to minimize the impact on
those we serve,” said Lanakila President and CEO Rona
Yagi Fukumoto.

The mitigation retrofit allows Lanakila Pacific to remain operational to prepare meals for distribution and to assist in recovery efforts. Its kitchen operation currently has the capacity to produce and store up to 5,000 meals per day.

Fukumoto says the project also positions Lanakila as a resource during disaster recovery, to “assist in preparing meals for distribution to survivors, first responders,
volunteers and other vulnerable communities impacted.”

Improvements to the Lanakila main building on Bachelot Street in Liliha include installing impact-resistant glass doors and windows, retrofitting building envelopes, roofs and windows, and installing flood barriers.

“We’re not 100% there, but we could operate if a flood or hurricane were to hit,” Fukumoto said. Lanakila’s kitchen operation relies on a 20-year-old generator and air conditioning system that could pose problems. Fukumoto says the group is securing funds to replace the aging equipment in the next three to five years.