• About the Project
• What is a Community Vulnerability Assessment?
• Participation
• News & Events 
• Final Report

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News & Events

Final Report is here! (6/26/2020)

As promised, we are excited to present to you the CVA final report. Here is the link to the West Kauaʻi Community Vulnerability Assessment Final Report.  Appendix A and Appendix B are on separate webpages.

West Kaua`i Potluck Celebration (12/09/19)

Please join us on December 9th from 5:30-8:00pm for a gathering and potluck celebration at the Waimea Theater to honor the completion of the West Kauaʻi Community Vulnerability Assessment. A final presentation of findings from the project report will be followed by a potluck dinner and talk story with exhibits. This gathering is open to all. We hope you will join us to celebrate your hard work. Please bring a food dish to share, and bring your friends and neighbors!

Critical to this two-year long project and critical to the resilience of the Westside is the deep connection of its people, to one another, to its future and its past, especially in the midst of sea level rise and climate change. We hope that these values shine through the final report.  A final layout version with graphics will be available late January.

Here is a link to RSVP and indicate the ono grinds you will bring! (Ruby to bring an old family favorite: lasagna and garlic bread)

Agenda

5:30-6:00 Registration

6:00-7:00 Report Presentation

We will go over everything that was done during the two-year process and the key take-aways and recommendations. County Planning staff will also be on hand to talk about the links to the West Kaua`i Community Plan.

7:00-8:00 Potluck Dinner and Talk Story with exhibits

We plan to have several posters/exhibits set up around the room. Eat and socialize, ask questions, and discuss how the report can be used to further community resiliency in West Kaua`i.

See you there!

West Kaua`i CVA Final Draft report (10/25/19)

Mahalo nui loa for providing your feedback on the Draft Report!  We received over 200 comments on the draft report and they were extremely helpful in improving the final product. The final report is currently with our graphics department, working on layout and design.  We are expecting the final report to be completed by January.  

We are currently planning a community celebration in early December to present and discuss the key takeaways and how the CVA can be used to promote community resilience.  We will provide you with more details in the near future. We hope you can all make it and bring your friends and neighbors. This is as much a celebration of all your hard work as it is ours! 

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #7: Water and Electricity

On Wednesday, May 8th we held our 7th and final workshop on water and electricity. We were fortunate to have experts on hand from Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) and the Department of Water (DOW), along with several interested community members. The draft VCAPS causal diagram is shown below. Please contact us with any edits or comments! We have already begun our next step, which is writing up everything we have. More news to come on the release of the draft report!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #6: Cultural Resources

On Monday, April 1st, we held our sixth focused discussion on Cultural Resources. Mahalo nui loa to all the participants who shared their knowledge and concerns regarding agriculture on the west-side of Kauaʻi. We successfully identified potential climate change vulnerabilities and a variety of possible solutions. The draft VCAPs casual diagram is shown below.

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #5: Agriculture

On Monday, February 25th we held our fifth focused discussion on Agriculture. Mahalo nui loa to all the participants who shared their knowledge and concerns regarding agriculture on the west-side of Kauaʻi. We successfully identified potential climate change vulnerabilities and a variety of possible solutions. The draft VCAPs casual diagram is shown below. You can also download a PDF here.

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #4: Beaches and Coastal Properties

On Monday, December 10th we held our 4th focused discussion on Beaches and Coastal Properties. We had a dynamic session with guest speakers Chip Fletcher and Chuck Blay. Participants shared their knowledge and concerns regarding beaches and beach erosion on on the west-side. Specific vulnerabilities and a range of possible solutions were identified. The draft VCAPs causal diagram is below and you can also download. You can also download a PDF here.

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #3: Critical Infrastructures

On November 26th, the third four-hour VCAPs session was held focusing on critical infrastructures. Participants rolled up their sleeves, shared their knowledge and expertise on critical infrastructure on the west-side, and identified potential climate change vulnerabilities and possible solutions. Mahalo nui for all the hard work. A draft VCAPs scenario is below. You can also download a pdf directly here.

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #2: Drainage

On Wednesday October 3, 2018, twenty-five community members and experts gathered for the second VCAPs session on drainage. Participants rolled up their sleeves, shared their knowledge and expertise on drainage issues on the west-side, and identified potential climate change vulnerabilities and possible solutions. Mahalo nui for all the hard work. A draft VCAPs scenario is below. You can also download it directly as a pdf here.

Community Vulnerability Assessment Meeting #1: Transportation

On Wednesday, September 5th, we conducted our first successful VCAPS session on transportation and evacuation! We couldn’t have done it without the hard work of the 24 community members and experts who participated. Mahalo nui loa! We started a draft VCAPS scenario (below) with many opportunities to complete the diagram. We will schedule a meeting in the near future to continue the fruitful discussion.

Kick-off Meeting

We celebrated a successful kick off event, “Let’s Tackle Sea Level Rise” on July 31st at the Waimea Theater. Many thanks to all who attended and to the Waimea Theater for hosting! An overview of the project was provided by Daniele Spirandelli, an informative primer on climate change science given by climate expert, Dolan Eversole of UH Sea Grant, and the film Miss South Pacific by Kauai Producer Teresa Tico was shown. A big outcome of the event was a discussion and survey of management concerns related to coastal hazards that will be tackled throughout the next few months. The process will include a series of 4 hour facilitated sessions using VCAPS for each management concern. Click here for a description of the management concerns. All west side community members, workers, and asset managers are encouraged to attend.