HI SB239

State buildings and public school buildings with construction commencing on or after July 1, 2026 must be designed to withstand category five hurricanes and serve as emergency shelters

Requirements apply only to buildings that are fully enclosed, have capacity to shelter a large population, and are intended to serve as hurricane shelters

Correctional facilities, covered playgrounds, and sheds are excluded from the new design requirements

Replaces previous language that only required the State to "consider" hurricane resistant criteria when designing new public schools

Findings cite that Hawaii has lost 81 days of protective trade winds over 40 years, current shelters can only hold 100,000 people while 200,000 may need shelter during a hurricane, and most existing refuge areas cannot withstand even a category two hurricane