Yesterday, Governor Josh Green, M.D. extended the emergency proclamation in response to the Hawaiʻi Life Flight accident. As Hawaiʻi Life Flight is currently in a transition phase, the extension of the emergency proclamation allows the state to continue providing staffing resources needed to ensure the availability of emergency transportation.

On Friday, December 16, 2022, an emergency proclamation was issued in response to the Hawaiʻi Life Flight air medical aircraft that went missing off the coast of Maui while en route to pick up a patient located on Hawaiʻi island. This emergency proclamation activated collaborative efforts to add personnel, airframes, and other important resources to care for 52 patients, to date.

In a statement Governor Green said,“By coordinating efforts between Hawaiʻi Life Flight, the State Department of Health, the Army National Guard, the Coast Guard, the mayors, and medical facilities throughout the state, we helped to ensure that emergency transport was available for critically ill patients, especially those throughout our neighbor island communities. Together, we worked collaboratively and maintained emergency air medical transport.”

The disaster emergency relief period for this emergency proclamation will continue through Friday, January 6, 2023, unless terminated or superseded by a separate proclamation, whichever occurs first.