UH Hilo Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes seeking video footage of February ’08 flooding on Big Island

University of Hawaiʻi
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Posted: Feb 6, 2008

The University of Hawaii at Hilo Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes (CSAV) is seeking video footage of the February 2008 flooding on the Big Island. In cooperation with Hawaiʻi State Civil Defense, CSAV maintains an active, all-hazards public outreach program and will use donated footage to show the kinds of threats produced by Hawaiʻi‘s intense rainfall events.

Darcy Bevens, educational specialist with CSAV, explains, "In 2000, we had tremendous rain and floods in Hilo, Puna, and Ka‘u. Back then, we asked residents who had videotaped flooding on their streets or backyards to let us borrow the tapes to make a copy for our archives. We were delighted with the response, and collected tapes from Waiakea Uka to Keaau to Pahala that were incredible.

"I put discreet pieces of the videotapes on our Natural Hazards Hawaiʻi Web site, and edited a tape for the County, to help in planning flood mitigation," she added. "We‘ve also used sections of the tapes for educational purposes in our Big Island schools to teach about the dangers from floods."

"The tapes will be carefully archived here at the University and will be an invaluable resource in our teaching and public outreach programs. As in the past, if we do receive inquiries for commercial uses of the video, we will refer the requester back to the owner of the original footage," said Don Thomas, CSAV director.

Tapes of any format—VHS, Hi-8, MDV—are acceptable. Please contact Darcy Bevens at (808) 974-7631 for more information, or email csav@hawaii.edu.

To see video clips from the 2000 floods, visit the CSAV Web site at www.uhh.hawaii.edu/~net_haz/floods/gallery.php.