LIHU‘E — Roy Morita of Life’s Bridges said he didn’t realize the amount of people involved in the successful operation of the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operations Center.
LIHU‘E — Roy Morita of Life’s Bridges said he didn’t realize the amount of people involved in the successful operation of the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency’s Emergency Operations Center.
“We were having a meeting of Life’s Bridges,” Morita said. “The topic of first responders came up, and the EOC, where a lot of the coordination of the first responders take place. I didn’t realize the amount of people involved who are not considered first responders.”
Impressed with this new-found knowledge, Life’s Bridges, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide compassionate bereavement support and education to the island’s visitors and the local community, secured the help of Jackie Wong of Wong’s Restaurant in Hanapepe to provide bento-style lunches for all of the crew in the EOC, that on Friday, was led by senior officer in charge, Mayor Derek Kawakami.
Morita said Life’s Bridges works closely with the Kaua‘i Police Department and other first responders in responding to situations where death is involved.
“Gina Kaulukukui, the founder of Life’s Bridges Kaua‘i, is the Kaua‘i Police Department’s domestic violence coordinator,” said Bryson Ponce, KPD assistant chief. “She often goes out late into the night (in response to reports), but is back to work the next day like nothing happened.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
