(BIVN) – Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green has extended the emergency proclamation following the loss of a Hawaiʻi Life Flight in December.

From the State of Hawaiʻi on Tuesday:

Gov. Josh Green, M.D. extended the emergency proclamation today in response to the Hawaiʻi Life Flight accident. Currently, Hawaiʻi Life Flight is in a transition phase as its local crews steadily come back online and the company begins the process of coming out of its “safety stand down.” The extension of this emergency proclamation allows our state to continue providing staffing resources needed to ensure seamless 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 enroute 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.

“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,” said Gov. Green.

“I am so proud of the Hawaiʻi National Guard’s professionalism and responsiveness while providing critical patient air transport support over an eight-day period. The operations aligned with the State’s priority of saving lives and preventing human suffering,” said Major General Kenneth Hara.

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relief period for this emergency proclamation will continue through Friday, January 6, 2023, unless terminated or superseded by a separate proclamation, whichever occurs first.