Episode 36: Defueling the underground Red Hill fuel storage tanks

On this episode of the One O'ahu Podcast, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi joins host Brandi Higa to discuss defueling the tanks at Red Hill, collaborating with the State to reduce homelessness, and a plaque dedication ceremony for Honouliuli National Historic site.

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Defueling Red Hill

This week, fuel tankers began the long process of draining the massive tanks of fuel at the Navy’s underground Red Hill fuel storage facility. Mayor Blangiardi explains on this week’s episode of the One O’ahu Podcast that he was briefed on the process by the Task force commander Admiral John Wade and the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino.

“I thought the plan that they laid out and all the work and preparation that they’ve put into Red Hill, even with the contingencies on what could possibly go wrong, not to suggest anything will, but when you lay out a plan like that, it does account for that kind of stuff, was brilliant,” explained Mayor Blangiardi. “It was very thorough and aggressive.”

The Mayor goes on to explain the complexity of this project and how it is actually ahead of schedule.

Collaborating with the State to solve homelessness

Mayor Blangiardi recently met with Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green on working together to help get more people off the streets on O‘ahu and into more permanent housing. Mayor Blangiardi goes on to talk about growing resources and says a key theme of his meeting with the Governor was moving past a planning phase onto more actionable items.

“We’re past the stage of talking and thinking and even planning, if you will, and we all had a sense of what needed to be done, especially with respect to the combination of the State’s resources and what the City’s resources (are).”

Mayor Blangiardi describes plans to acquire additional facilities for mobile crisis care where State resources would be tapped for health services, such as psychiatric health care.

A new plaque for Honouliuli National Historic site

Also on this week’s episode of the One O’ahu Podcast, Mayor Blangiardi talks about the recent plaque dedication ceremony at Honouliuili National Historic site and why it was so significant to him.

“This site is there to remind all of us, never again,” explained Mayor Blangiardi. “It’s hallowed ground. It’s hallowed ground for the people who sacrificed and went through so much there. And in that memory and respect for all that they gave up, really for our country because they continue to be Americans, that’s what it was about.”

This recent plaque dedication and blessing are just the latest steps in efforts to preserve the site where Japanese Americans were held in internment during World War II.