Hawaii Wants New Disaster Response Center

Hawaii is proposing a new $70 million emergency response center near Diamond Head to replace an aging and cramped facility in use for the past three decades.

If state and federal funding is identified, the proposed center is to be located on Diamond Head Road and will be built to withstand a Category 4 hurricane or a strong earthquake.

It also will be able to operate without an outside source of power for 15 days.

The 30,000-square-foot center is to house up to 150 representatives of government agencies.

It will replace a high-maintenance underground facility located in an old artillery battery in Diamond Head crater that dates to World War I.

The facility has faulty air conditioning and cannot be easily expanded.