SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii -- During a bomb threat that forced 60 adults and 27 children from their beds, here, around 10 p.m., June 7, Treva Williams took the initiative to keep her fellow neighbors safe.
After 45 minutes of being outside without shelter, bathroom facilities or water, Williams, a military family member and Porter Community resident, realized this evacuation was not a drill.
“My adrenaline was pumping,” she said. “This was definitely not a scenario; it was as real as it could be.
“I didn’t step up to be heroic; I stepped up and offered my services because it was the human thing to do,” she said.
Sensing the crowd was getting restless and unaware of how long people would be away from their homes, Williams called the Red Cross for support, in the event that the situation continued for an extended period of time.
She also used her volunteer contacts to have the Porter Community Center opened, so that the evacuated residents would have someplace to camp out.
“Her actions allowed me, as the senior law enforcement officer on the scene, to focus on the safety, security and accomplishment of the mission. ... I knew she was focused on the comfort and well-being of the residents,” said Sgt. Virgil Curry, supervisory police officer, Department of the Army Police.
A bomb threat had been called into a resident’s cell phone, saying that a bomb was located in a mailbox. The police were called and residents were evacuated.
“The protocol for a bomb threat is safety first,” Curry said. “We evacuated the surrounding area based on the size of the possible bomb, and we maintained the evacuated area until explosive ordnance personnel examined the area.”
A few hours later, after all the mailboxes and the surrounding perimeter were investigated, the threat was called off and residents were allowed back into their homes.
“I took all the things I learned from previous family readiness group trainings and Army Community Service and applied it to this situation,” Williams said. “I knew who to call because I educated myself.
“You never know when something like this is going to happen, and when you are going to have to be the one to step up and take control,” she said.
- Report suspicious activities
Call 911 or the Schofield Barracks Military Police station at (808) 655-0911 to immediately report suspicious activities and packages.
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