EURO MED SEC 03


THE KA LOKO TRAGEDY

AMARJIT SINGH


Abstract

The North Shore of Kauai is known for its beautiful beaches, scenery, and tropical paradise. However, the community has faced adversity and tragedy due to the lack of necessary engineering inspections, failure to apply for building permits, negligence, and complacency on behalf of property owner James H. Pflueger, the State of Hawaii, and County of Kauai. The Ka Loko dam broke on March 14, 2006 and the rushing waters wreaked havoc on the community causing mass destruction and ultimately claimed the lives of seven individuals. Multiple civil lawsuits and a criminal case followed where the owner pled no contest to seven counts of manslaughter and one count of reckless endangerment. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a brief analysis of the events surrounding the tragedy and extract the lessons learned and impacts it may have to prevent future disasters from occurring. Among the issues, it was discovered that the emergency spillway had been filled with earth, and that dam inspections were irregularly conducted.

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